Modern-day Grinch

By Kaleo Li

Right as you roll out of bed and clench your head because of that Halloween candy hangover, "Jingle Bells" blares from the radio. A groan of realization slowly emits from your mouth because it is Nov. 1, the start of the Christmas holidays.

By the time Christmas actually rolls around, most people are already sick of the repetition and the lack of variety on the radio. After two months of constant "pa-rum-pum-pum-pum", the average student has lost all sympathy for that irritating drummer child.

"I hate the Christmas songs they play year after year," says senior Tejan Rockwood. It is fascinating how the radio DJs can cope with this endless "Winter Wonderland" of songs for two straight months.

Harder to handle is trying to shop during this hectic holiday. The mall parking lot is similar to a battlefield, and Black Friday is basically Armageddon after Thanksgiving, resulting in injuries and death.

Looking for the perfect present also causes unnecessary stress. Senior Malerie Jaramillo says that her least favorite part of Christmas is "shopping for people who are hard to shop for."

Some people believe that this long length of holiday cheer is a ploy by the retailers to make customers spend as much as possible. Men in fat suits parade each corner, mall and department store, trying to suck the money out of any passerby with children. Each commercial is abound with obnoxious models frolicking in fake snow.

Santa himself may cause more disappointment than joy. When innocent children find their heart-wrought letters undelivered, they face the ultimate test of faith. What they believed to be true turns out to be the biggest fable they've heard. Their belief in Santa, who may even represent some sort of celestial being, is crushed, and it is possible that these children will grow up with issues of trust.

With all these unpleasant experiences, it is hard to imagine that people even leave the house. However, one thing keeps them spending: routine. This routine, which lacks almost any Christmas spirit, keeps mindless employees a-decorating and retailers a-selling. On Dec. 26, trees are folded down, santa hats are packed away, and there isn't a trace of St. Nicholas to be seen. Taking lights off the house is a signal of the start of this process and is junior Kat Rangel's least favorite part of Christmas.

When all is said and done, people will probably give a sigh of relief and lament their empty wallets.