This time of year, everyone is always talking about the “true” meaning of Christmas. Yet all I see on television, in magazines or at the movies, is a hyper-happy reality that looks not only foreign to me, but a little absurd. No one I know, or ever have known, gives (or gets) a Lexus for Christmas. When I was single and broke in New York, I didn’t throw a party nearly as fun or funky as the one thrown by the cutie in the Target commercial. I’ve never met one single family that is as happy as the one in the Folgers ad to see their son/brother come home from doing volunteer work in Africa. On top of everything else I feel bad about, should I now add the fact that neither I nor any of my siblings joined the Peace Corps?
This year, I decided to ask my family not to give me any presents. Reverse psychology? Donate to charity instead? Spend extra time in church learning about baby Jesus? Nope, nope and nope. After watching what must have amounted to hours of Christmas commercials, seeing Christmas gift-related billboards, hearing 24/7 Christmas music on the radio (you get the picture), I actually had become revolted by the thought of entering a mall or buying a single red or green item. Who comes up with this stuff? Cue the sleigh bells! Enter the delighted and adorable children! There’s an expectant girlfriend being presented with an obscenely huge diamond as an engagement ring! I get it, they’re actors, consumerist culture, blah blah blah—it’s not real and I shouldn’t feel disgusted by participating in this scene. So why do I?
I actually have a good family, I have a nice guy, wonderful friends—so what is it about watching these commercials that makes me feel like I am the lamest person on earth? I am probably overthinking it. Just watch and enjoy! Look at this cute bartender dude telling me how to make unique holiday drinks with Di Saronno. Don’t mind if I do, but what is Di Saronno again? At the risk of sounding completely Scrooge-ified, count me out. I didn’t get any presents, I didn’t give any presents and I had to turn the TV off so I didn’t have to watch that ridiculous guy pretend to be a tree that fell off the roof of that family’s car (what is with those ads? What are they even for?). What I did do is talk to my brother, pick up my sister at the airport, make cookies for my boyfriend, pet our dog, drink glogg with my mom and miss my dad, whose last Christmas was 2 years ago. And it was a pretty good Christmas. Not to be too corny, but gifts aren’t always found underneath the tree.
