Tis the Season

I like Christmas. I really do. But I am one of the grumpy ones who could stand to see it back off a little.

Christmas commercials are already inundating the world. Buy! Buy! Buy! You need New Wonderful Thing! You can't live without it!

I bet you can.

The decorations are nice, and I do like seeing them. I'm still old school enough to look forward to Midnight Mass. Indeed, Midnight Mass and the quiet half hour I'll spend watching A Charlie Brown Christmas would do me fine, to be honest. Turning on the radio or listening to a CD of traditional Christmas music is quite enjoyable. I find the greatest happiness is in the small, sublime aspects of life. The commercialism I can certainly do without.

So on the whole I'll be happy enough. I'll likely even watch one Hallmark movie: flashy three piece suit city guy ought to lose the girl to red flannel shirt small town bumpkin. I do take far too much delight in that.