How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Holidays

Ah, the holidays. A time for familial tension, crappy weather, and trying to return unwanted gifts without a receipt. Oh, and getting drunk with your coworkers at an always-awkward holiday party, there’s that too. Why is it that this time of year seems to get less festive every year? Is it just me, or do we get more Grinch-like the further we get from childhood? It was all downhill once we figured out it was our dad eating the cookies and milk left out for Santa rather than the big man himself, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of it. Don’t let your grandpa talking politics at the dinner table or the insane crowds of tourists in Rockefeller Center bring you down. It’s time to reclaim the holidays.

You just need to adjust your expectations is all. Rather than thinking about how the holidays have changed since you were a kid, think of how you can benefit in the coming year through what’s happening now. Yeah, it’s the season of giving and all that, but let’s get selfish for a minute here. If you’re getting gifts for a significant other that you live with (I know, I know, it’s a little late for gift advice, but bear with me), think of how the gifts can benefit you. Oh, stop acting like that’s taboo. It doesn’t mean that they won’t enjoy it too. Just think as the gifts as being for the apartment rather than the person who lives there. After all, won’t you both enjoy a nice new HDTV more than just a sweater? You can use the HDTV daily rather than a sweater they can wear once in a while. It’s called being a sensitive gift-giver. And sure, an HDTV cost many times more than a sweater, but there’s no need to be cheap when you’re buying for two.

And at the end of the day, it really isn’t about the presents, even if those presents include a 50-inch flat screen TV. It’s about not having to work for a few days, having an excuse to drink around people you don’t usually drink with, and getting a few more good stories to add to your repertoire when the whole routine of wearing t-shirts and going out with your friends and hanging out outdoors in the summertime has just gotten so damned boring. Buck up, friends. After all, New Years is close too, and you’ll probably be back in town away from your family for that.

This entry was posted by Adam on Wednesday, December 20th, 2006 at 6:01 pm