2008 Woodie Awards
Tis the season for a Grinch's view on Christmas
Geoff Manzi
Issue date: 12/7/04 Section: Viewpoint
Christmas is wicked, and of this I have no doubt. There is nothing more unnecessary then holiday stress, and come Christmastime there is no worse source of holiday stress then what leads up to December 25th, especially for college students. Indeed the beginning of December marks the end of the semester, a point in time where the professors of academia pile on the papers, proofs, or lab reports like the fat man himself gives out gifts and goodies to the good and gift-worthy.
It is also the time of year when the bank accounts are at an all-time low, and friends are at an all-time high. Who gets a gift? How much should I spend? Should I worry about this after final exams and focus on my studies, and if so, will that alone be a good enough gift for mom and dad? Or even worse, will it be too late to find that special gift or touching card with only a couple of weeks before the big day? Sadly enough, these are the questions people like myself are forced to accept and endure this time of the year, and never before have these burdens been more apparent.
What's even more depressing than facing the questions themselves is gathering a full understanding of what these questions say about us. Without sounding too cliché, the entire point of Christmas is lost to the vast majority of those who claim to love this holiday. More so then anyone, I love giving special gifts to those of close ties and connections, seeing your loved ones' faces brighten with joy upon unwrapping the sloppily patched together ends of four separate rolls of wrapping paper just to find that special accessory to whatever else it is they already own millions of.
Even more, I love being the guy on the other end of such an exchange, especially when it means new pick-ups to be put on my bass guitar (hint, hint), or the fourth album of a band that has put out at least 27 others of which I already own 26, but not THIS ONE.
Is that worth getting excited over? I'll concede to the fact that a loved one is taking the time to purchase an item at a department store he or she most likely despises (if you're like me, that's every department store on earth) that is especially for you, makes the effort to wade through a mass of hysterical holiday junkies getting high off the red and green paint fumes, just living for their next fix of a sale sign or advertisement garbed in fake snowflakes and jingle bells, with sounds of "Ho, Ho, Ho" echoing off the top of the mall's ceiling and seemingly reverberating throughout my every brain cell every time Macy's has a one hundred dollar purchase.
It is also the time of year when the bank accounts are at an all-time low, and friends are at an all-time high. Who gets a gift? How much should I spend? Should I worry about this after final exams and focus on my studies, and if so, will that alone be a good enough gift for mom and dad? Or even worse, will it be too late to find that special gift or touching card with only a couple of weeks before the big day? Sadly enough, these are the questions people like myself are forced to accept and endure this time of the year, and never before have these burdens been more apparent.
What's even more depressing than facing the questions themselves is gathering a full understanding of what these questions say about us. Without sounding too cliché, the entire point of Christmas is lost to the vast majority of those who claim to love this holiday. More so then anyone, I love giving special gifts to those of close ties and connections, seeing your loved ones' faces brighten with joy upon unwrapping the sloppily patched together ends of four separate rolls of wrapping paper just to find that special accessory to whatever else it is they already own millions of.
Even more, I love being the guy on the other end of such an exchange, especially when it means new pick-ups to be put on my bass guitar (hint, hint), or the fourth album of a band that has put out at least 27 others of which I already own 26, but not THIS ONE.
Is that worth getting excited over? I'll concede to the fact that a loved one is taking the time to purchase an item at a department store he or she most likely despises (if you're like me, that's every department store on earth) that is especially for you, makes the effort to wade through a mass of hysterical holiday junkies getting high off the red and green paint fumes, just living for their next fix of a sale sign or advertisement garbed in fake snowflakes and jingle bells, with sounds of "Ho, Ho, Ho" echoing off the top of the mall's ceiling and seemingly reverberating throughout my every brain cell every time Macy's has a one hundred dollar purchase.