Confessions of a bah-humbug

Alex Strickland

I have been told that since I was a little boy, if there’s one thing I hate, it’s change of any sort.

My parents proposed to check me out of school early for a doctor’s appointment in 2nd grade? I was incensed not that I must go to the family physician, but that my normal routine of leaving school at a predetermined time would be upset.

Anyone who has seen my office desk (or my house, for that matter) would likely find it a stretch to imagine that I harbor these obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but alas, I still do.

So each year when the holiday season rolls around, I am rankled to find store parking lots more full than usual, previously open weekends usurped by special events or visitors, and chocolate chip cookies replaced with ginger bread men. It’s infuriating.

This menace toward the holidays was put in stark relief this weekend when I was debating whether to stay in on Saturday night and get some work done or attend a Christmas party at a friend’s home. I do not use the term “debating” lightly either, as I was seriously weighing the relative advantages of each and couldn’t decide which sounded less appealing.

Admission is the first step: My name is Alex and I have a problem.

Make no mistake, when the special day arrives I’m only too happy to rip open presents and watch to see if I made good choices in my gifts to others. I even enjoy most of the foods associated with the holiday season.

And for what it’s worth, it’s not just Christmas. I grouse about the noise and irresponsible teenagers on the 4th of July, the pointless commercialization of Valentine’s Day and, of course, the national football-watching event called Thanksgiving. That is, of course, until I’m lighting fireworks, eating chocolates or laughing at the Detroit Lions when the time finally arises.

No, it can’t be easy to live with someone who has prematurely become a grumpy old man, but at least I recognize this particular shortcoming. I’ve even tried to be better this Christmas season, though I haven’t come so far that a “quick” trip to Wal-Mart on a Saturday won’t put me back in a grinch-ly state of mind, but that could happen to anyone.

Here’s hoping everyone has a safe and happy holiday, we’ll see you in 2009.