You say you hate Washington’s Birthday or Thanksgiving and nobody cares, but you say you hate Christmas and people treat you like you’re a leper. — Gremlins

You know, admitting to friends and family that I dislike the Christmas season is usually more jarring than telling anti-gun in-laws that I have a pistol on my belt.  Even complete strangers seem aghast that I don’t walk around wrapped in tinsel and singing old Burl Ives ditties.

Please, enjoy your holiday, but leave me out of it.  We’ll all be happier that way.

Private George E. Elliott: [Telephone conversation from the radar station to the Information Center]

Private George E. Elliott: Sir, this is Private Elliott at Opana Point. There’s a large formation of planes coming in from the north – 140 miles, 3 degrees east.

Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler: Yeah? Well… Don’t worry about it.

Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler: [Click!]

— Tora, Tora, Tora

There is a fine line between believing everything that comes down the pipe and disregarding something important.  A professional knows what is normal, and what is not.  Having your eyes open and your head on a swivel means nothing if you disregard the warning signs.

Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind… and that’s what’s been changing. — Miracle on 34th Street

If you’ve been hanging around here for more than a few months, you’re probably aware that I’m not a Christmas person. The religious aspect of the holiday is a good reminder for me, and I do enjoy the time I get to spend with the kids and Irish Woman.  But Santa Claus, tinsel in every available nook and cranny, and all the noise, noise, noise, noise, noise makes me want to drive my truck into a railroad abutment. It’s getting out of hand.  One of our local radio stations went to pre-programmed Christmas music before Halloween this year, which means that it joins the one that went over prior to Thanksgiving last year on the list of things I don’t listen to anymore.

Look, if you truly feel that there should be peace on earth and good will toward men, then act like it after December 26.  If you want a couple of weeks of good behavior under your belt to salve your conscience for being an absolute prat all year long, go for it.  But at least have the integrity to admit that Christmas is an excuse to shop, and not a state of mind.

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. — Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

I’ll admit it, I’m a goof.  My sense of humor can be called dark at times, but I’ve never heard it called high-brow.  Letting go of your maturity and letting loose with a good laugh does wonders.  More people ought to try it.