In Search Of Some Holiday Cheer

You can tell it is Christmas time on TV as almost every channel has some Holiday special running whether it is a rerun of one from years past of something new this year. Then of course there is all the commercials designed to draw your dollars into some store or another. Of course the commercials started in October this year so they are getting a little tiresome already. How many times have you seen the Chia Pet commercial already? Would anyone actually buy one of those things as a gift? But I digress. As I was flipping through the channels last night while whiling away the hours on the midnight shift, I ran across the rerun of White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kay. This film is one of my favorite of the holiday genre. It has all the Hollywood elements of comedy and sentimentality along with the traditional happy ending. I watched it as I do every year and it made me wish I could return to the days when the Holiday Spirit was truly abundant and Christmas wasn't the mass marketing blitz that it has become. I love all the holiday music and the lights that brighten the neighborhoods, I even take guilty pleasure in watching shows like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. But I miss feeling the joy and anticipation I have felt in years past and the wellspring of goodwill that at one time overflowed during the season. I don't know exactly when Uncle Gerry started turning into Auntie Holiday at this time of year. I suppose it has something to do with the complicated relationships I have with my family and the feeling of being obligated to celebrate something I no longer believe or enjoy. When did I become such a cynic? This used to be my favorite time of year and now I dread its coming. I try to put up a good front, acting more like Bob Cratchit when I feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge inside. I truly wish I felt more of the spontaneous happiness that should come with the season however I am having a bit of a struggle with it, more so than in years past . So if any of you out there have an abundance of Holiday Cheer, could you pass some over this way? I guess I will try to infuse myself with Holiday Spirit by adding some more decor to the blog and watching another holiday special on TV. Maybe I should just chase Auntie Holiday away with a switch and a few lumps of coal thrown in her direction. I am open to suggestions for overcoming the malaise that I am feeling, maybe if I could find a Santa that looks like one of those in the side bar and sit on his lap? I am sure I could come up with a list of wishes to be fulfilled, like maybe he could put one these guys in my stocking to wake up to on Christmas morning.....