Two sizes too small

Ahhhhh, time to relax. Christmas is over for another 364 days. The out of town company and relatives coming to visit have (finally) left, and as I slowly wind down from an exciting day, I can't help but be reminded of my favorite Christmas cartoon special, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

I think you probably know how the story goes. Evil Grinch sneaks down into who-ville on Christmas eve while all the Who's are asleep (and screw proper punctuation, we're talking Dr. Seuss stories here, not Chaucer), and steals all the things that dress up christmas. The food, the presents, the decorations, etc, and runs off with them, then has a change of heart at hearing the singing of the who's anyway, and brings everything back and is welcomed by the who village.

Now, I certainly don't consider myself a Grinch, despite how much I love the character. But I certainly identify with him. I mean, all he wanted was a little peace and quiet really, and while I don't agree with his method of trying to bring it about, I know most of us can get a little tired of all the hustle and bustle that goes on around this time of year. I love Christmas, but some years, it's just hard to get into the proper spirit. I know we've all been there. Rushing to get shopping done, dread at seeing the relatives, hurrying to get all the decorations and food ready on time, and some of us might even have to work the holiday away, it just kind of wears down any boisterious good feelings that might well up within you, you know? Most years, I usually end up trying to listen to Christmas music after the holiday is over, thinking that Christmas just came up on me too fast, that I wasn't ready for it, and despite most of my christmases being generally good, I get to feeling sort of left out. A bit Charlie Brown of me I suppose, to mention another christmas special, but I've always felt a bit sad when I am still listening to christmas music a week after christmas has ended. I guess I was just looking for something that I missed out on, and then finally, christmas music stops being played, and people get back to their lives, and I have to reluctantly put it aside for another year and vow to prepare better for Christmas next time.

I expected this christmas to be one of the worst. We had company staying with us right after thanksgiving, when we generally get started on the decorating, and then with everything going on we fell so far behind that almost none of the decorations went up. We finished decorating the tree 3 days before Christmas, and I finally managed to get a single, solitary string of lights up on the front window. I usually decorate my room as well, with blinking window lights, and all I managed this year was a little red-lit commercial tree made of wire, lights and garland. Being a guy and a gamer, I usually get a half dozen computer games to play, but this year, nothing good was coming out, and it's the first year since I was a child that I didn't ask for games for xmas, just clothes. ME, asking for CLOTHES? A truly sad xmas indeed.

And then, something strange happened. I got up this morning, and went through the motions. I opened my packages of clothes, just 5 little packages. I opened my single tin of cashews, my solitary bag of kitkats. I noted the books that "santa" had brought me, that I had already read perhaps 20 years previous. I'd impulsively purchased some extremely cheap older games on xmas eve, hoping that I'd find something to play, at least, that I'd have a new game on Christmas to enjoy. But though they downloaded all night to my computer, none of them seemed worth the $5. And yet, as the day went on, and company arrived, I realized I wasn't just going through the motions anymore. In the immortal words of Boris Karloff, who narrated the Grinch cartoon, Christmas still came. It came, just the same.

As it turns out, all the games I purchased have promise. I even found a new game to buy and download that my nephews had recommended. It cost me $60, but it does look like fun. My mother, who never has much to open on christmas, only had 3 boxes of sweaters to open this morning, but somehow, once all the relatives had arrived, she had so many gifts that she ended up still opening them after midnight. The food was excellent, and we had more of it than usual. My nephews and friends, who usually have little to do over here but watch me play my games and wait impatiently until they can leave to go home and play their own, brought over a nintendo Wii, and amused themselves for hours, where usually they are bored out of their minds. Note to self, purchase a console to keep the kiddies amused so I can play my new PC games in peace next xmas.

And finally, after everyone has gone and I decide to turn on my TV and wind down a bit before bed, my TV comes on tuned to seasonal music, and a christmas song starts playing... and for the first time in years, I'm not missing Christmas. I had it. Christmas was here. I didn't miss out on anything. My relatives came, and everyone had fun, and nobody was bored, and I'm completely satisfied. And I realize, I've had my fill of christmas music this year. I can let it go and move on. So now I am watching the end of War of the Worlds. The original, not that crappy remake with tom cruise. Much like the Grinch, I feel as if my heart, which had been two sizes too small, has grown three sizes this day, three sizes in all.

So it was either the Christmas spirit, or the fact that I have the next week off of work. I'm on vacation! I don't go back until January 4th! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!