CHRISTMAS MUSINGS
By: Mark Jones aka dopesick
It always seems that writers tend to over analyze things. This isn’t something we should be afraid of. Hell no. This is what separates us from the rest. This is what keeps us on our literary toes, always dissecting, always prying deep within, hoping to find more meaning. I may be totally alone in this line of thought, but that just seems to be the way I see things. Like an incessant two year old I constantly find myself asking: WHY?
Much like now, I find myself asking what Christmas means to me. It is a time where I am reminded just how broke I am and how much I despise malls.
There is nothing worse than trying to make your way through a mall during the Christmas season. Every single charitable organization is waiting for you to step within the twelve foot boundary between the mall and the road. No matter how fast you walk you end up losing at least 6 to 10 dollars of your shopping money, depending on how guilty the aggressor makes you feel. "Tis the season for giving you know". Ya well, why don’t YOU, give ME, a break!!! Don’t get me wrong, I love giving money to a good cause, it just so happens that at Christmas time the cause is my family and friends. I will take care of the rest of worlds problems after the new year. Does that sound petty and bitter? I hope not, I am really a nice guy. Honest. =)
Once inside the mall all reason and sanity bares no relevance. It is every man/woman for themselves. If you see it, get it, or by the time you contemplate whether the receiver of the gift would like it or not, it is gone.
Now, personally, I find that it is best to do all your shopping in one day. This way, you don’t prolong the mental pain and anguish of realizing that you have absolutely no money left in your bank account. Christmas is the worst season for destroying your economic security. I have tried every trick in the book to make Christmas inexpensive, but no matter how hard I try, or however ingenious the money saving trick may be, I still always find myself broke and in debt. The only way to rectify this situation is by taking whatever money I get for Christmas and using it to pay off my credit card.
Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t bring this misery all on myself on purpose. I just don’t have a helluva a lot of money. But there is no way that I will not buy someone a Christmas gift. Christmas is a time where we all gather around the ones we love, exchanging tokens of love and appreciation. Laughing, crying, enjoying each others company. I can’t bring myself not to be a part of all this. And if being a part of it means spending all my money and putting myself in debt. So be it. I just wish someone else could do all the shopping for me.
Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.
dopesick mjones@globalserve.net
