Tis the season?

I really dislike the holiday season.

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally okay with what it stands for, I know it's really an important couple of days for a lot of people. I just hate shopping, I hate those stupid Christmas commercials, I hate Christmas music playing 24/7, I hate that people spend money they don't have on gifts no one will use, and most of all I despise those goody two-shoes who decide that it's the season of giving and decide now is prime time to do food/clothing/money donations-and scoff at me when I refuse to drop a few cents in their tin or purchase a can to donate, when I've already done both about a million times already that year. And hey, what about the other 364 days in the year, why don't we show the same compassion towards people on those days??? It's just so fake. It bugs me.

You might ask if there's anything I do like about the holidays? Well, yeah, of course there is. I like having time off school, I like going home and getting to see my family, I like the food, and the lights, the colors, and the snow, I love the magic, I love seeing the look on peoples faces when they open the prefect gift that I spent hours shopping for (because I'm that bad at shopping and the mall was that packed), I like watching 24 hours of "A Christmas Story," I even like the feeling of somehow being closer to G-d that I only feel on occasion throughout the rest of the year.

One of the things I like about being in Poland around this time of year is that I can pretend there isn't a holiday happening at all. They don't go crazy here like they do in the States, they decorate a little bit, but the shopping, the greediness, and the general madness is nothing like back home. When I do go home in a few days it's going to be a serious shock for me I think.

The holidays are rough for a lot of people, but everyone seems to forget that this isn't the only time of year you can be with your family or help others! Family is always important, and there will always be those who need some assistance. I know the season is about family and giving, but if this is the only time of year that we hold "holiday ethics" in high esteem then we as a people are pathetic.

What I'm trying to say is, go enjoy your family, go to religious services, enjoy the good food and the bad music, but don't let this be the only time of year that you cherish the important things in life-  to really live life you have to appreciate what you have everyday.