I’d say decorate for Christmas, but really people keep so many things packed away and only bring them out for the holidays. Favorite decorations, special recipes, entertainment rituals, and family gripes, issues and all around sniping.
What I find interesting and sometimes amusing is that totally rational, fully function, full-grown adults who get along, most of the time, throughout the year, can go bonkers and revert to childhood in an instant when faced with Christmas. I see it all over. We pull out the historical record of when so-and-so did me wrong 20 years ago, add that to an off-hand comment, and start snarking like we’re taking pot shots at targets. Or we feel bad because we can’t do something we had our heart set on, we have to do things at a different time, we’re stuck doing things that we don’t want to do, so we lash out at whoever is safest or most convenient.
It’s this time of year that I think it would be amazingly lucrative to be a therapist or psychiatrist because so many of us appear to go whacko and really need a check in and support to get through it all. So take a deep breath, then let it out. You are not alone in thinking the world is going insane right at this moment. Whether it’s crazy drivers, manic shoppers, holiday decoration gawkers, the neighbor who has decided to use the entire power grid for their house this year, or the family member who seems to have lost all grip on reality, we’re all in this together. Try to keep smiling and remember, this too shall pass….