Friday, December 22, 2006

So Christmas is here...

It doesn't feel like it, not to me. Its been such a hellish week at work that I just don't feel any goodwill to anybody at the moment. The last two months or so seem to have been relentless. Not just long hours at work but everything else as well. Not that anything particularly bad or serious has happened; just the mounting pressure of the everyday being squeezed out by long hours at the office.

I think its also the weight of expectation that comes with this time of year that is partly responsible. Not that I try to let that affect me or get me down. I like Christmas but not to the extent that I obsess or even get excited about it anymore. For me, its a few days holiday when I can be with my family and enjoy their company with good food, drink and the usual old dross on the TV! Its simple and predictable for the most part and I like that.

I've deliberately avoided the shops for the past week. I take no pleasure in fighting my way through the heaving crowds desperate in their search for that last minute present. And I certainly don't appreciate all the unnecessary pressure that seems each year to become more and more attached with the run up to Christmas. It borders almost on the hysterical this desire to get everything done and finished by Christmas. Why? There will be another 365 days next year so what is the panic? In the job I do people seem to endlessly create artificial deadlines, which appear to serve no purpose other than to put everyone else under pressure to achieve them.

Frankly I am feeling exhausted and jaded by it all. The pleasure has been all but sucked out of it and I am beginning to think I'll be glad when Christmas is over.

2 comments:

Joe said...

I totally agree with you Mark. Christmas now is the season of goodwill, to all shopkeepers. I can only really enjoy it when Xmas Eve comes along - incidentally, I watched 'Revenge of the Sith' on DVD on Xmas night last year, which perhaps made the film seem better than it was in the cinema.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear you have been stressed out recently, Mark. :( I totally agree with your comments on this post, about Chrimbo. Carla and I are deliberately doing very little for Xmas.... including not "trimming up" - just can't be asked. I always preferred Hallowe'en anyway. We also didn't get each other presents this year, as we buy anything we like during the year! However, it *will* be nice to be at home together relaxing and not being at work!
As far as films go, we are going to watch the original versions of "Star Wars", "Empire" and "Jedi" over the holidays as I got the newly released DVD tin box set, which I have to say is very nice! I also bought the "Back to the Future" box set last week so we are working through those excellent films. We watched "Part 2" today...really brilliant fun stuff!

Hope you all have a nice peaceful time over the holidays.

Derek :)