Trying to Find the Christmas Spirit

The day did not start out well.

Then to go to pick up my Grams and realize that gasoline had gone up a quarter a gallon, well, it set the tone for the day.

And I grew angry. I watched people push carts filled with toys to the check out, and I fumed. I had watched newscasts of the insanity on Friday, and it made it worse. I drove past homes with all those holiday blow up things outside, and I felt my heart shrink a few sizes.

I tried not to get killed in parking lots. I got shot the finger when I drove the speed limit on the highway.

I tried to remember the joy of the holiday season. The giving, the helping, that warm feeling as we tried to make the world a better place, blah blah blah.

I tried to remember feeling good when I dropped canned goods off to the food pantry.

It wasn't working.

I was bombarded with greed, excessiveness (how many blow up figures do you NEED in your yard???? that all require electricity) and rudeness. Not to mention people with V8's passing me like I am standing still no matter what gas costs.

My mom got the boys the copy of Polar Express that is for HD DVD players. The $300 DVD player. Not the el cheapo one we got that was still better than the one I bought for hubby seven years ago for three times as much. After two waffles and a good cry, Tater was down for the count.

Mooch woke up at 5 from a very long nap, apparently making up for the past week of bad sleep. Lucky kid.

I know people go into debt for the holiday. I just cannot make myself do that. My friends, even the dual income ones, know we are working hard to make it work. I know they don't expect much. I wish we could all get on a big cookie exchange and only get token items for the kids.

Let's face it, I don't know their kids well enough to get a meaningful gift for them.

Hell, I shoot wrong with my own kids.

Though I should have known to save the tricycle for Christmas. The Harold the Helicopter and Scoop from Bob The Builder were big hits. The tricycle was an afterthought to Mooch.