And now, on to the airing of grievances

Hi all.

I was originally going to do the whole “Merry Christmas!!” thing, but honestly,  I feel a bit funny about it.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas,  although I like to think most people are OK with that. I certainly don’t get my hackles up if someone says Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever.  In fact, I wish more people did. I love learning about other cultures. I remember singing a few Jewish folk songs for a holiday concert one year. Hine Ma Tov is especially lovely.

It’s people, for whatever reason, just don’t like Christmas.  Honestly, I can say there are a few things to hate about it.

It can be fake. Everyone expects you to be happy, so you feel obligated to plaster a stupid smile on your face and play along. I remember attending Christmas mass at Old St Mary’s in Detroit. My mom sang in the choir, and she had a solo that evening.

I was sitting in the pew after service waiting for my mom to come down from the choir loft. Some well-meaning but clearly misguided woman walked by and cheerily exclaimed to me, “Smile, it’s Christmas!”

“I’m not Christian!” I snapped back at her. The look on her face was priceless as she scurried away like the Devil itself was at her heels.

Look, I’ll concede, I was a bitch for saying that, but seriously…

She didn’t know me. She didn’t know what I had been through. It was actually just a case of resting bitch face because it was the end of midnight mass and I was tired AF. She didn’t know one way or another.  Hopefully, I prevented her from saying it to someone else who was having a seriously sucky holiday.

I’ve had my share of “First Christmases without someone.” It’s not much fun. I can guarantee that someone telling me I need to smile will likely have a very bad effect on all parties involved.

Christmas also stresses people the hell out. You are supposed to be happy, but your’re not. There’s often family drama. You end up eating or drinking too much. A month later, all the bills come in.

Anyway, you get my point. Christmas was a lot of fun as a kid. Nothing was expected of us (except to “be good”) so we were just there to soak up the magic.

I remember how pretty the tree looked. My dad (and I when I was a little older) would light a fire in the fireplace. My mom had a turkey in the oven. The house felt cozy, and everyone seemed content.  We didn’t have much, but at that moment in time, it was all we needed.

That is what the spirit of Christmas means to me.

And so you know that I am not a complete Grinch. Here’s my latest video of my upright bass progress on YouTube. 

Merry Christmas,  y’all.  😉🎄