Editorial Rant: The Holidays

I'm considered, by some I know, to be a scrooge. I don't want to hear Christmas music before December 20th. I don't think decorating my apartment, where I won't spend the holiday, is needed. I don't have anything plastic and large and Santa or Rudolph looking. Christmas carols in November? Vomit. Walmarts holiday section? Looks like Santa's puke. I am just NOT into the shiny plastic parts of Christmas. If you are, I'm glad for you. If everyone in the world were like me, they would never play "Baby It's Cold Outside" on the radio or no one would decorate their houses.

But I am NOT a Scrooge. What I like to excel at is gift giving and trying to go out of my way to do nice things for people. I love picking out thoughtful and useful gifts for people. I like to make their lives richer and more pleasant or help them out by making things easier. As many of you know, I have many many people that I love and care about, and I try to tell them as frequently as possible, not just during the holidays. I try to be good to people and care about them and give love willing and often. That's what the season is all about, for me. It's an opportunity to cherish your loved ones and show them how much you care (and pay a TON for airline travel! woohoo!).

Part of "being good to people" is being good to ALL people. This is sometimes a challenge for me...I don't know many people who it is NOT a challenge for. But what bothers me most about the holidays...here it is...is how SURLY and MEAN people get. I was walking in Walmart yesterday and every other person I passed was scowling. A deep scowl. The CHRISTMAS scowl. It was the same way at the mall. And at Old Navy. Lots of Christmas scowling. I get it. There's extra stress. You have 10 million extra things to do. You have family around or coming that you may or may not care for. Sometimes the holidays SUCK.

But, is that any reason to take it out on those around you...specifically store clerks? For example, I went to the store the night before Thanksgiving Eve day to get fruit for the fruit salad. I was chilling in the canned foods isle, looking for canned pineapple. There was a man who worked for Safeway trying to help a woman. Their exchange went something like this:
Man: how can I help you?
Woman: I need some of that stuff. For dinner. You know? It comes in the turkey...you add water....don't you know what I'm talking about?
Man: What sort of stuff, ma'am? (She was a ma'am, trust me.)
Woman: You know, it has celery, and onions, and bread crumbs, and spices...
Man: Oh, stuffing. Well, if you want to make it, the onion and celery are over in produce, and right here--
Woman: *up in this dude's face* Did you not hear me? Are you stupid? I want the kind you add water too!
Man: *blank stare, possible tears*
Woman: Well, can't you help me? YOU'RE USELESS!!
Me: Ma'am, the bagged stuffing is right there on the end of the isle. (Literally, 5 feet away.)
Woman: God, these people are incompetent! I want to talk to your manager! *huff huff huff*

I honestly had no idea she meant bagged stuffing until the near end. The gentleman was NOT a native of the US, so his thanksgiving experiences were probably limited. But she tore into him like he had just stolen her last dollar! Dude! I wanted to like run in front of the guy and be like "Back up lady, or I will lay you out!" but, I resisted, she may have killed me.

This happens most frequently during the holidays and it REALLY bothers me. It totally misses the point of the holidays! Love, joy, comfort...none of the above when I see so much mean-ness going on out there!

To try to make up for the mean-ness, I'm going to try to be extra good to service folks. My cousin Miranda, when she was out here last October, taught me a very valuable lesson: be NICE, EXTRA NICE, to those that help you out with things you buy...you will be rewarded. And it is totally true! Not only are their monetary benefits, but I feel much better about myself when I make other people happy. Who doesn't?

So, that's what I'll try to do. Be good to people everywhere (regardless of how horrible they've been to me in the past!) and stay cool with service people, no matter how frustrating the situation.