The Holidays

I hate them. Not in an Ebenezer Scrooge kind of way. Not in a Grinch kind of way either. I love the spirit, I love the time together with family, I love Christmas morning. It's a once-a-year feeling, and I'd never trade it away. It's the other kind of togetherness that gets to me. I'm so tired of always being the only one in my group alone. Okay, so I'm actually not the only one that's alone, it just seems like I'm the only one who pays any mind to it.

December always seems to be a downer for me, especially since I've got a steady job. Now, since I'm all growed up, I get to participate in the giving part of Christmas, as well as the receiving. Don't get me wrong, it feels great to give, but I don't think my wallet could disagree more. This year I spent a little over $200, not counting gas funds to get complete everything, or lost time thinking, searching, and wrapping.

Now, you may ask yourself (or maybe it's just me asking myself) "What can one do to remedy this situation?" Well, my friends, I have a crackpot theory that's just crazy enough to work (for real, I've always wanted to say that legitimately). Let's dive into this a little deeper: My mom has always been superstitious. Every year, without fail, our Christmas tree goes up on black Friday. Period. It remains up, decorated and lit until January second. Period. Mom says that any other routine is bad luck. Every year for new years, mom puts a silver dollar in each window over night. She says it's good luck. Every year on January first, our dinner is mashed potatoes, green beans, pot roast and sauerkraut. I can't STAND sauerkraut; the smell, sight, taste - it all makes me want to gag. Since I live at home with them still, I have to be home for dinner, and I have to eat some sauerkraut - mom says it's good luck.

Anyway, here's that crackpot theory: What if mom's right? What if it really DOES have to do with my luck? Every year, I eat just enough to get by, because the shit is awful. Recently, I've noticed my luck tends to have a downward slope towards the end of the year. What if I'm just not ingesting enough of mom's lucky poison? I guess it's worth a shot...