Spreading some of that old Christmas fear

Help me. It's almost time for that Christmas spirit to kick in - and along with it, the fear. As it happens, I loose a little Christmas spirit every year. There's more spending, more fighting in lines, more navigating through crowded malls, and more snow and cold. Not even TV can cure me, as it seems like all the good Christmas movies just keep getting older and more dull, and the new ones aren't working.

I keep putting up lights and ornaments every single year, and getting more and more frustrated with them. Worse yet, just knowing that by putting them up I'm creating work for myself in the near future when they'll have to come down.

Wrapping gifts is a whole day activity filled with tape and scissor mishaps and miscalculated paper dimensions.

But then on the evening of the 24th something magical happens... the stores close up, city traffic disappears, people vanish from the streets. I get to put out those gifts and sit down, sip on eggnog, eat chocolate and smoke a cigar in the house. Everything is peaceful - the calm before the storm. Then - the chaos of Christmas Day ensues. It's not bad though, because it's easy chaos - requiring very little effort to enjoy. The smiles, the relaxation, the good food, it all becomes worthwhile for that short period of time.

Then it's cleanup time, which runs into January and destroys the mood, setting up for the anxiety which will inevitably arrive next December.