A Cloud 10 Christmas Conclusion

All I think of is two words: Massive cleanup!
(static.panoramio.com)

It's that time of year again where oxygen comes at a premium at the local mall and when the parking lots have a potential to become a bumper car arena. A shopping excursion can seem like a life-and-death situation, even if I'm just there to purchase for a Dunkin' Donuts gift card. It is about the time before Thanksgiving when the arrival of the holidays feel like that slap in the face you know is coming. However as Christmas becomes more and more of a commercial event as I get older, I can't be a grinch and let the cold and the calamity ruin the essence of what this holiday should be. As much I complain about the snow, it is the most appropriate backdrop to this time of year, making me not mind so much the everlasting chill on my toes come late December. Plus, it doesn't hurt to hope that a red Dodge Viper is magically waiting for me in the driveway when I wake up tomorrow morning. It's gonna happen one day, I know it! Just the guessing of what's under the heavily-designed wrapping paper is something that unearths that personal feeling from my days as a youth who just finished watching a few episodes of Tom & Jerry, waiting for his parents to wake up so he can open those very gifts. As I get older, I realize it's just that simple. Since I was 18, my Christmases have been tree-less, which could be perceived as sad removal from the celebration, but then I think of the cleanup on the 26th. But Christmas to me is more the spirit of the day, the collection of the nostalgia of fond memories from yesteryear to adulthood that still make you highlight that 25th day on that last month on your Outlook. It also never hurts to have a looping holiday jingle in your head, which for some reason will stay embedded in your head till the ice melts in mid-March (Current earworm: Wonderful Christmas Time, Paul McCartney). In the midst of all the modern craziness, it is those hopes and images that keep the holiday spirit alive. So now that I proved that I'm not a complete Scrooge, Merry Christmas to everybody, and stay safe!

Happy Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus to ALL!