christmas? pass.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable christmas. Mine was ok I guess. As I mentioned before, I don't really get all that excited about holidays anymore. When you're a kid, it's all about getting presents. For me, it was all about nintendo games and action figures. Now that I'm older, the stuff I want is way too expensive for anyone to buy, so I never get what I want. And it's not so much that I only care about getting presents. I could buy most of the stuff I want. I guess I just don't see what all the hoopla is about. Sure christmas is all about family and whatnot, but I live at home. I see my family every day. Christmas is no different than the other 364 days of the year except that we get presents.

I guess the main thing that annoys me about xmas is that every year my grandparents have to do their ritual xmas sermon. They're hardcore fanatical christians, and to them pretty much everything is evil. (When I was little, they wouldn't let me get ninja turtles because they're 'monsters.' Once I asked them for a Gamepro magazine but they refused because it had a ninja on the cover. I have countless stories like that.) Anyway, let me describe a typical xmas with my family. Usually we go to my grandparents' house with my aunt and cousins to eat. This year they all came here. After a little time is spent chatting it up and preparing the food, we all gather round the 'table of the lord' to pray. I can deal with that, but there's more to it. Every year my grandpa decides to preach about the true meaning of christmas and how santa is really just satan with the letters rearranged, and blah blah blah. Most of us just tune it out and let him finish so we can eat. This is usually followed by him and my grandma singing and dancing about jesus. It's quite an embarrassing sight. Once he's done, he breaks out the dreaded 'medicine bottle.' It looks like a bottle of prescription drugs, but in it are small strips of paper with brief bible quotes. He calls it medicine for the soul. He passes one out to everyone and we stand around the table and have to read it aloud. This year he changed it up and we had to say the basic point it was trying to convey. Whatever. This is usually followed by more praying, then we can finally eat. My grandparents mean well, they just go about it all wrong. This year after everyone left we went to midnight mass at church, which is weird since we haven't done that since I was a little kid. Once we got home at around 1:15am, we all opened presents (something else we've never done before. We've always opened gifts christmas morning).

Anyway, the older I get, the less I buy into the whole religion thing, but I don't dare so much as hint at such a thing to my parents. I can't even begin to imagine the fallout that would occur as a result. The truth is though, that I believe in science more than I believe in religion (though the big bang theory is a little iffy). However a part of me is afraid to reject my faith, probably as a result of my strong catholic upbringing. I have no problem with, and respect, peoples' religious beliefs, but when they try to force feed their beliefs on others, that's when I take issue. Buuuuuut, I don't want this to become a religion post, so I'll stop there. ;)

As for the gifts, I think this was the most disappointing xmas yet. I guess it's my fault for not asking for anything at all, since I can buy most everything I want. However, I wasn't really expecting to get clothes. (-_-)... Money would have sufficed. Ah well, live and learn. I understand why my parents got me clothes though, since I absolutely hate shopping, and avoid it like the plague. I did get a cool Far Side calendar though, so it wasn't a total wash.

I think next year I'll just celebrate Festivus instead. Feats of Strength anyone?