Let me me be perfectly honest here.  I really hate holidays.  And, I’m an equal opportunity holiday hater, I don’t like any of them.  I love Christmas, that is the true meaning of Christmas, but I hate the cultural crap that comes along with it.  I just want to skip all this and move on to the new year.  I don’t want to spend a bunch of money I don’t have, I don’t want to eat a bunch of sweets, I don’t want to do the holiday dog and pony show, I don’t want to go to holiday parties alone, I don’t want to go to them with a spouse I don’t have, I do not like it in a box, I do not like it with a fox. I do not like green trees, this sham or culture’s Christmas, mad I am.

Some people think the Grinch stole Christmas, nobody cared, so he gave it back and everyone lived happily ever after.  That’s the fictional version of the story, because you and I know darn well, that if someone stole all of the things in our house and all the gifts from under the tree, we would not all be in the street holding hands and singing.   The story would be a little different…  Here it is, in the form of “Twas the night before Christmas.” Enjoy…

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town

Many creatures were stirring, using credit around;

The plasma tv was unloaded with care,

In hopes that the credit bill was lost in the mail;

My kids wanting toys, finances in red,

While visions of electronics danced in their heads;

Me on my laptop, looking for deals,

Wondering where I will get the next meal; 

When out in the street there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my couch to see what was the matter.

Away to the door, to make sure it was locked,

I got there in time to hear a loud knock.

A shadow was walking into the night,

I looked to the left, I looked to the right,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

Nothing anywhere, just a great sense of fear,

Back in the house, so much more to buy,

Knowing I’m broke, I let out a sigh.

I thought of the Grinch, and what if he came,

And took all the things we call by name?

“Diamonds and iPads and flat screen TV’s,

Rock Band and cell phones and don’t forget Wii’s!

So much stuff and so little time;

Filling space ‘neath the tree, not sparing a dime.

What if all this stuff went away,

And we had nothing to open on Christmas Day?

Kids would be crying, adults would be mad,

This would be big, making the economy bad.

And then, in a flash, I saw in my head,

An idea? I could do that, with no sense of dread.

As I thought more about turning Christmas around,

No toys, no electronics… what’s that sound?

I thought it was that squirrel running on top of my home,

It was the shadowy figure I saw, grabbing my phone;

As I started to dial, calling for help,

My fear getting worse, I let out a yelp.

He stepped out of the shadows, and clearly I saw,

Dropping my phone, then dropping my jaw.

There he stood, melancholy and blue,

Feeling what he felt, I knew what to do;

I invited him in, and told him to stay,

As he is the reason for this special day;

His birthday taken over by a cultural mess,

All he wants for Christmas is for us to be blessed.

Not with more things we don’t really need,

Sick of the waste and tired of greed;

His life is a gift, and we shouldn’t forget,

The one who came to pay all our debt;

Not from department stores, not from a card,

He paid for our ways, jaded and marred,

Stuff is not bad, evil or wrong,

Only when used to fit in and belong;

Remember at Christmas, what it’s about,

Share it with others, nobody without.

As he got up to leave, he let me know,

He’s always with me, mind, body and soul.

He had others to visit and walked out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and have a peaceful night.”