The 4th Best Holiday

OK, Thanksgiving has passed, the remaining living turkeys can take a deep breath and enjoy their freedom, and the sweet potatoes were freaking delicious. Thanksgiving was everything I hoped it would be, and more! Loved every minute of it!

So, now, we move from my 3rd favorite holiday of the year to my 4th favorite holiday of the year...Christmas!

"But Patrick," you might be thinking, "Christmas is wonderful. It's everyone's favorite! How can it be only your 4th favorite holiday?"

Or, if you read this blog regularly, you might be wondering, "Patrick, I'm surprised Christmas is your 4th most favorite holiday...I figured it would be 6th or 10th."

Well, nuts to all of you, because it is 4th! And there are many reasons for it.

As my blog has continuously pointed out over the years, Christmas is far too commercial for my tastes. Christmas commercials have taken over the airwaves...and they are some of the most annoying commercials ever created! As a matter of fact, back in 2009, I made a post with videos of the most annoying of them! Sadly, no one has listened to me, and it's only gotten worse. And earlier. Sigh.

Christmas always seems to be about presents. Hell, I've been guilty in the past of looking forward to Christmas, wondering what loot I would haul in. As I've gotten older and wiser, I find that the gift giving is more of an annoyance than the reason for the season. I mean, I don't have a lot of extra money floating around...I'd rather people just not get me anything at all, and I not get them anything, and we all go out to dinner or something. But no, its about presents, and wrapping paper, and "oh no, this person got me a present, now I feel obligated to get them one too..." Ugh. Pass.

Then, of course, Christmas has been under persecution by the PC-left wing nutjobs for a while now...as I also brought up in a 2009 post. Any hint of Christmas decorations on any parcel of public property, and the lawsuits come flying. WHAT, CITY HALL PUT UP A MANGER? THEY CAN'T DO THAT! And now it's called the Holiday Season instead of the Christmas Season. Hello, most of us celebrate Christmas! We aren't trying to force any religious beliefs on you, we're just trying to enjoy ourselves. Hell, Christmas is barely a religious holiday anymore anyways. People these days will use any excuse to bitch.

But, despite my ranting, Christmas isn't all bad!  As a matter of fact, yours truly has been accused of being a Christmas Elf in the past.  Maybe its because I have a few boxes of decorations just for my bedroom that go with me wherever I live.  Or maybe its because I have an ever growing collection of Christmas movies.  Or maybe its because, right now, my car is playing Christmas music on loop (not all Christmas music...most Christmas music is awful...but the CD I made is awesome, and cheerful!).  Christmas has it's advantages!

I think the thing I love most about Christmas is the lights!  Christmas lights are very pretty, and people can get pretty darned creative with them!  Every year, right here on this blog, I tend to post pictures and videos of amazing Christmas lights.  I love to drive around the neighborhoods looking at them.  Some of my favorite memories as a kid was piling into the old Ford Fairlane and rolling around our neighborhood in Morgan Hill going "Christmas Light Looking."  The old neighborhood was always good for that.

I also have a fair collection of Christmas movies at my disposal, which I tend to cycle through a few times during the Christmas season.  Since Thanksgiving I've already watched two of them:  Christmas Vacation (always the first Christmas movie of the year for me) and Bad Santa.  Still have plenty more to go, and most will be watched more than once.  Always a good time.  Especially since I ignore those movies the rest of the year...so its always a treat to bust them back out and watch them.

I think last year's blog posts during the 12 Days of Patmas were some of my favorite blog postings of all time.  It really brought out some of my favorite parts of Christmas...one day at a time, and in a creative and fun way.  I'm not sure how I'm going to top that this year.  I suspect I cannot...but I'll figure out something to do to celebrate the holidays on this blog.

Honestly, I really just love the spirit of Christmas.  Things tend towards the joyful, towards the happy.  It's a nice change from the angst and darkenss that seems to consume every day life.  For one time a year, at least, we can pretend to be happy.  I know...between the shopping, and the working, and the crowds of people, and the weather, the Christmas Season can seem like a hassle.  But, when you are with your friends, listening to music, and having a great time, the Christmas Season can be pretty great.

So, Christmas is my 4th favorite holiday.  I think it has some of the highest highs that a holiday can provide...but also has some serious drawbacks that prevent it from being the favorite.  However, in the end, its still a great time of year.  So, as this is December 1st, let's enjoy this month as much as we can!  Let the stresses of the holiday season melt away, and embrace the good parts of the season.  We're all going to have a marvelous time enjoying Christmas in 2011. I can just feel it.

And look for future Christmas-themed postings throughout the month here on the blog.  Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'm sure it will be somewhat amusing...at least to me!

Cheers!