Holiday Stress Events

I am convinced they are all crazy this time of the year. Uh the "they" would be people in general, as in they are all nuts now. The Christmas holidays bring out the frenzies in humans as well as the joy and kindness. You can see it in the way people drive their autos now. Not only do they speed precariously to their destinations, they also multi task while racing. It's an anxiety induced frenzy and that is always one element of our modern Christmas.

Together with the fun and tender times of Christmas we also have the stress of deadlines and the demands to make the holiday what it is actualized to be in the mediums that form our impressions of what a "perfect holiday" should be. I think it is more stressful now because the technologies we commonly use now bring the stress too us more readily. There may no longer be any "simple" Christmas holiday experiences because technology won't allow it (at least for the 90% of humanity addicted to their gadgets).

I observe the chaos every time I go out during the Christmas season. Hmmmmmmmmmm. There seems to be some organized Xmas stress events out there and they can be fascinating to watch. Just the other day while driving to the obligatory shopping venues to get those gifts the retailers say we have to buy I got a taste of these holiday stresses.

* The "Fight for the Parking Space" event- It's a simple equation at any shopping mall parking lot that Einstein would have calculated quickly..E=MC2...That would be energy of crazy drivers looking for a spot to park = mass chaos doubled with occasional profanity when the two competing drivers race for the same spot they both claim as their divine right. Sometimes the lucky spectator will see their competitors actually crash into each other as they both try to squeeze into the spot at the same time. But be careful if one has a red neck and driving a truck..he may be carrying a shooting iron and be quick to use it.

* The "Jump the Line at the Checkout Counter" hurdle- I must Say, as rude as they are, these line jumpers are clever and athletic. They hurdle past those in lien and then claim "I didn't see a line" as they hold their ground to get a quicker checkout for the purchase of their gifts. Most line hurdlers are either to stupid or are too uncouth to understand their own rudeness. Some can even be seen wearing a T shirt with their philosophy of life, "It's all about me".

* The "Scream in the Cell phone" contest- I am not sure why the lady behind me in the post office decided to berate her son publicly, but she did it loudly. And she used language that most moms would not tolerate....they would wash out the mouth with soap of their kids who used it in their home. But she was "mf-ing" him" about his "not being considerate" of her. Sigh....How ironic. But the story has a good ending in this holiday event. It seems the postal clerk told that woman to either put away her phone or get back into the end of the line. I swear I heard sighs of ecstasy from we line dwellers. It was a beloved X mas miracle.

* The retailer " Clearance or X mas Sale" - My God! How many sales can those retailers have? And are any of those sales any different from the normal a sales they advertise all year? I think not. They insult me with English usage challenged ads that proclaim "Final Clearance". When I asked a sales clerk to explain the difference between a "clearance" and a"final clearance" she uttered a simple.."I have to ask the manager. I never thought about it." Being convinced that any manager who would put up such a nonsensical sign as that is probably just as illiterate as the clerk, I uttered, "never mind" and exited. But people respond to the sale frenzy. The day after Thanksgiving here, Black Friday, they line up in front of the store the wee hours of the morning in order to be first in line to buy the "sale" item that can be had weeks later at the same or lower price. And they fight over article once inside. It's a least more exciting to watch than hockey or golf!

Well, those are a few of my favorite Christmas stress events. Hope you always have a stress free holiday