The Twelve Gripes of Christmas

Let me get my Grinch on for a sec.

Photo by Andréas BRUN on Unsplash

I like to think I’m a pretty tolerant person most of the time. I’m not quick to anger. Even when I’m losing patience, I don’t go all Karen on the people around me. I try to be kind and understanding while also accepting I’m not the center of the universe.

But some things just bug me.

Enter the holidays — the oft-told happiest time of the year.

I actually get more frustrated this time of year than any other. I want to blame it on a lack of Christmas spirit — it doesn’t come naturally to me — and too much time spent in retail during the holidays.

Here are a few things I like to call my Twelve Gripes of Christmas.

Christmas takes up half of November and all of December now. Give us a break!!

I should have known there was a problem when I noticed a few years ago that many stores start stocking Christmas items well before Halloween even passes. I haven’t spent the holidays anywhere else in the world other than the United States, so I can’t say if this trend bleeds over into other countries too.

But the commercialism — it’s getting a bit exhausting. What once filled me with a special glee now just drains me of…