braveandrecklessblog

Bah, Humbug

Written last year when I couldn’t quite get my jolly on. . .

My mood

simply has no respect

for the date

December 7th

the calendar announces

helpfully

cheerfully

but I am not cheerful

holiday spirit

is not what has been

dogging my footsteps

these many weeks

 

I did not realize

until I moved to this neighborhood

that competitive outdoor

Christmas decorating

is a thing

it starts the day after Thanksgiving

I feel badly for my neighbors

who are Jewish, Muslim or atheists

or minimalists

there is no escaping

Christmas here

I suspect the electric company

makes a killing in December

 

Other years I have enjoyed

the light show

displays ranging

from the lovely

to the sacred

to “bigger must be better”

to profane

I have never figured out

which category

the inflatable T-rex wearing a Santa hat

wrapped gift in claws

falls into

or what exactly he has to do

with Christmas

but such philosophical musing

is beyond me right now

 

I have tried to fill

Spotify playlists

with sprightly holiday tunes

I find myself tiring them very quickly

one song and I’m done quickly

back to Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton

and Amy Winehouse

because nothing craves

heartbreaking love songs

like my current mood

every time I think that

the raw edges of my depression

have started to mend

they get itchy

I scratch

and they bleed

 

So I don’t think that

I will be watching

It’s A Wonderful Life

or Frosty this weekend

actually, I wouldn’t watch

Frosty any weekend

(I hate Frosty even when

I am not depressed)

but there’s always

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

or maybe The Thin Man

William Powell and Myra Loy

may be just snarky enough for me

Hell, if all else fails

there is always Home Alone

or Die Hard. . .

 

© 2016 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All rights Reserved

 

 

 

Posted in PoetryTagged , , , , 16 Comments

16 thoughts on “Bah, Humbug”

  1. Perfect Christine! This is my ongoing holiday mood. We used to watch Bad Santa as our only christmas movie, it’s terribly raunchy but if you can get past that, it might give you a few laughs 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Ugh! It’s a Wonderful Life…I saw it for the first time a few years ago and I HATED it. No thank you. (No offense to those who like it, but so not my cup of tea.)
    Oo the Grinch is my husband’s favourite. We do what the heck we like this time of year 🙂 Our town decorates from the last weekend in November, and we always railed silently against it, we only do that all in the week of Christmas…but I have learned to enjoy it in recent years. I put up a measly little string haha, the last few years it definitely has been less is more for me in the house. Just for things generally. And now, I think our area is simply embracing celebrating for the sake of celebrating because there is so much sadness in the world, and I appreciate their spirit.

    Spiritually, Christmas Eve, I am more inclined to the quieter, more contemplative 🙂

    Like

    Reply

      1. Thank you for the reminder! Charlie Brown’s Christmas hasn’t shown here for so long, I’d honestly forgotten about it. I had never seen the Grinch till I met Darrin. I love it. And his dog.

        Like

        Reply

Leave a comment