Warning...rant ahead
Posted: Friday, November 13, 2009 by Travis Cody inI'm cold. I'm tired. And I don't understand something. Yeah, I think I'm gonna take a moment and rant a little bit.
What has captured my ire? I'll tell you...those who complain about the retail holiday season.
What's the problem? You have a choice...participate or don't.
But why waste energy railing against a commercial system that has been in place for generations? Why roll your eyes when you see a store that has put out its extensive holiday displays? Why rain on somebody else's fun just because you have a different idea of what the holiday season should be?
You might think you remember a different time, back when you were a kid maybe, when the key winter holidays didn't seem to run into each other like they seem to do now. You know what? We don't know what time is when we're kids. Everything bleeds into everything else. I remember that the Toys-R-Us catalog used to come out around Halloween. I distinctly remember sitting on the floor with our Halloween candy, my sister and I, paging through and circling all the great new toys we wanted.
Each to his own traditions I say. Nobody has the one true format for the way people should celebrate, or not celebrate, the winter holiday season.
I respect an offered greeting of Merry Christmas when I'm out and about during this time of year. But I don't appreciate being taken to task when I say Joyous Yule in return. That's my tradition and it doesn't disrespect any other. It merely expresses my happy feelings and my wish that others share in them. I don't accept this religious "reason for the season", but that doesn't mean I don't respect someone else's right to enjoy it and celebrate it in whatever manner is appropriate.
Why waste time being negative? How about this...instead of spending time considering what you don't like, maybe consider what you do like. Focus on what's fun about this time of year. Enjoy your holiday traditions, and leave others to enjoy theirs.
You know why? Because we don't live in the world by ourselves. We can each have our own traditions without trashing others.
So here's to all of you, no matter what you do to mark key dates over the next couple of months.
To the retailers, have at it in your search for our hard earned dollars.
To the programmers of the muzak piped into elevators and grocery stores, cue up that seasonal play list.
If you personally want to put up your lights and decorations now, then go for it.
May each of our holiday seasons be filled with the people and things we love and enjoy. And may we all find it within ourselves to let others with different traditions enjoy them without our social judgments.
Free world, free country. A freedom to choose how we want to celebrate/commemorate something without being critised is a right.