Why I'm A Scrooge

Bah - Humbug.
Christmas is coming, and I'm pissed. I can't get into my favorite restaurant; it's filled with shoppers taking a break. There's no snow. I'm BUSY. Despite the fact that no one in our immediate family is under 20, we somehow are repeating the dastardly gift-giving tradition. My sister seems to believe that it's my MOM who values the tradition, but MOM espouses that it "means a lot to" my sister to continue doing Christmas the same old way.
Net result?
Let's celebrate the earth-shattering birth of the Christ Child by buying each other crap made in China by slave labor.
Does this really make sense?
My inner rebel has been a closet Christmas-hater for years. I mean, really. Are you buying me that to make YOU feel good, or me? Of course, the closest loved ones have always been those who really know what you like, even if it's nothing at all, and deliver.
There are so many guilty obligations wrapped up in the guise of religious do-gooding. Isn't this the very stuff that Jesus spoke out against, repeatedly? Where in Scripture does it say that we are obligated to save the economy, often by purchasing things that are not needed, and even, unwanted?
In recent years, my less-than-socially-acceptable opinions have sharpened even more, like the prickle of a Balsam Fir being dragged unwillingly into a home. After heart surgery, when my life quite literally became transparent, it seemed more than ever like a waste of valuable time and emotion. Give gifts year round, I say. Don't relegate the demonstration of love and caring to one action-packed day. LIVE Christmas, all the time.
LIkewise, being involved in Sustainable Twin Ports has contributed to these strong feelings. Are a few moments of a card playing music really worth the worldwide impact that tiny battery will have in a landfill near you? Is that plastic crap at Walmart really going to be cherished for generations, or end up in next week's trash?
Ah, but it's coming, and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm holing up for the season and trying to do the best I can to be merry. And really hitting hard for year-round merriness, to sort of mitigate the conflict.
See you in January. Let's marvel at all of life's deep meanings then!