I’m not a big fan of Christmas. The shopping, the music, the obligatory family gatherings, the gift getting and giving, all get to be a bit much.

I have like a total of 8 or so people I have to buy for. Even at a paltry $20 a person, this becomes like $160 or so (factor in cost overruns and project delays you can assume roughly $200). It’s not that I can’t come up with this kind of cash, but in the past I just used my Christmas bonus from work to cover my holiday purchases. But times are tough and work has done away with these. Oh well.

Now it’s not just a money thing that makes me dislike this time of year. I hate the decorations, the sappy marketing, the colors even. It’s everywhere you go. The damn bell ringers, the too loud music in the stores (displays are already up), and the fact that retailers seem so desperate this year. Some are even having a pre-Black Friday sale (I’m looking at you Borders). And I am sure they are desperate.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the decorations, the commercialization, and the sappyness alone (I don’t dislike Valentine’s day for example), but there’s something about Christmas that just sets me off. Maybe it’s the religious aspect, but I don’t think so. Easter doesn’t bug me (much). So why Christmas? Got me.

I think I’d rather just have some time away, a week of downtime to do nothing but read, sleep, and watch TV (without having to see nothing but Christmas specials and heartwarming media stories).

Christmas does have its perks. The gift giving thing can be fun. I like the food. And I do seem to get a bit inspired with the whole thinking about other people and what they will like thing. I would just rather not have the stress.