The Confession

Christmas - An Alternative view.


You know it's that time of the year again when suddenly everyones spirits seem lifted. There's lights on houses and front gardens are decorated, some nicely, and some like random droppings of horse shit. There's two houses not far from me, like 2 minutes walk, but the opposite direction. If you turn left when you exit my house you'll see a neatly decorated house with even fairy lights. It's tasteful, despite my distaste for Christmas (see later paragraphs). However, if you take a right upon exiting my lair, walk for two minutes, you will come across something that looks like the North Pole has been raided by those aboard the Black Pearl. While Donna Hay goes for 'quick and simple' these people have gone for a 'lets get as much shit and throw it in our front yard so that passers by have a psychotic epileptic attack when they see the bright flashing lights.'


You may have noticed I hold quite a negative view of the whole 'season to be jolly'. The simple truth is, I do.
The over-commercialised nature of the whole thing just shits me, and of course the Church loves it because it makes most of Australia look like they're celebrating whatever Christmas celebrates. You can me ignorant, I'm guessing it's the birth of Christ whoever he was. I think I read about it in the Da Vinci Code.
So suddenly items in the shops are so much more expensive because its manipulating the honest shopper. Hey bitch, I'm buying this ham because I LIKE HAM, not because it's going to be put on the table in between the Fruit Mince Pies and the Bon Bons!

Now, my family is not religious. My mother is of the belief that you do not need to be to celebrate the magic of Santa. Is she on dope? Santa is a fictional character created by Coca-Cola or something. It only proves a child's naivety to believe in such a thing as a fat man in a red suit who visits ALL the children in the world on one night to give them presents.
Christmas this year has presented an even larger problem, as I have refused to visit my mothers side of the family for Christmas lunch. Mostly it's because I do not want to see them, I have nothing to talk to them about. They're the ones who sat back whispering and gossiping while I fought my internal battles of depression. Should I suddenly walk through the door with a fake smile on my face and greet them all for the first time in seven months? I think not.
The thought of attending a Christmas lunch does not interest me. People sharing presents, all laughing and being happy. I can be happy without the fake bluestone of love.

Christmas is something that I see as being forced upon us. Dependant upon our parents' religion of course. Most of us, however, are raised to believe in Santa, to enjoy the Christmas spirit, and nobody ever questions it. So I may be one of the only people to convert to a non-Christmas lifestyle. I may look at this holiday more strategically than emotionally, but if you seek the real truth in this world, you could learn something from questioning yourself.

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Tim is the author of this blog who believes that a present is merely the period of time we are currently living.