by Amanda Ines

Created on: December 14, 2010

Each year I promise myself that I will do it, that is escape it, but each year I don't end up doing anything about it maybe through curiosity as to what might happen in my area over those few days, so as I don't miss out on anything, but year after year it's more or less always the same -

We rush about like mad trying to buy all the presents and trying to make sure that the ones that we have to send to our family abroad get there on time. Put up all the Christmas decorations in your home, and if you work, in the office as well! Start stocking up the cupboards with all the food that has to be consumed over the festive season, all of which is mostly very fattening.

Then there are all the Christmas parties to go to where large quantities of drink are consumed and more than one hangover is to be suffered. I include here the office party as well where you have to be very careful not to drink too much and put your foot in it in front of any of your superiors because with redundancy being so virulent these days you could end up losing your job just for having had that one drink too many!

Over the Christmas season our waistlines increase at least one inch during all the pre Christmas parties and drinks and we end up finding that we have nothing to wear when the actual festive days arrive as nothing fits us any longer!

The other problem is that during all these Christmas festivities it is the time when we suffer more colds than ever as being amongst so many other people is the best way for a cold to easily pass from one to about ten other people! So on top of it all there is every chance that you are going to spend most of your holiday feeling lousy and maybe even having to take to bed.

Christmas is also a time when both family and friends get together and sometimes because people are so tired of having drunk and eaten too much and feeling bloated, hung over and irritable they take out their bad moods on all that are nearest to them and so hence this is also a time when the worst arguments can take place and even serious break ups which can become permanent!

And at the end of the day I think that the only ones who really enjoy Christmas because they are oblivous to all the above and only have to dream of which present they will receive are the young, so I suppose if you are a parent you will have to continue with the whole ritual for the sake of your children.

But I don't have any children and so eventhough I have finally decided after so many years of going through the Christmas ritual that I don't want to do it any more even in case I miss something interesting, the sad fact is that this year I don't have the means. because of the crisis,  to be able to get away from it, so once again I will have to go through it all again and hope that next year will at last be the year when me and my husband can get on a flight to some far away tropical island, where maybe they don't even celebrate Christmas and just lounge on the beach and eat fresh fruit and salads for two weeks to return in January when it is all over!

And this is why I dislike Christmas!

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