Of Christmas and Cities (or: In Which I Go Too Far and Start Ranting)

I've been to Galway a couple of times this week, and although it was very exciting at first, my second visit left me feeling a little cold. The first time it was about all there is to see, and cultural differences, and things like that. The second time, however, I just felt like.... what is there to do? Buying things, that is all. I've already looked around and explored, and once you're done being fascinated, what else is there to do really? It's a city. It is there for you to buy things. All sorts of things. Things that you decide you need, simply because there they are in front of you. And I don't want to do that, for one thing because I don't have disposable income, and for another because what is the point of buying things that you don't really need? And it's a crazy thing, becasue really, no matter how much I already have, I can ALWAYS justify buying more. I do this a lot. I don't think, "well why would I need that?". I think "well that could be useful/fun!" Living out of suitcases has been especially helpful in minimizing my purchases. I mean, I've made a point of bringing one (or a few) of everything I could possibly need, so there's really no way I can justify buying anything more! Unless it's very cheap, at a thrift shop, because I won't have room in the suitcases for it once I leave this country. So there I am, wandering around Galway with a couple of hours to kill. So I did the only thing I could think of that wouldn't require purchasing something: I went to a second hand bookshop and found a book to read and just stood there and read it for awhile.

I didn't participate in Christmas last year, and I'm not really this year either. The 2-year break from Christmas shopping has really given me some perspective on how ridiculous the whole thing is. You spend all this money on all these presents for people, and yes, you get about the same amount of presents back to account for all the money you spent on presents for others, so financially you come out even. But then you end up all poor at the end of it, because what you've essentially done is spend a whole bunch of money on what ends up being yourself (because you get lots of presents back). So you've basically just blown all this money on basically buying stuff for yourself. And for what? Because the world says you have to, or you are a Scrooge/Grinch? I was just discussing this the other day with someone, about how they're created these characters (Scrooge/Grinch), which say that if you choose not to participate in Christmas, you're a terrible person. Now, I know, I know, the Grinch was awful because he was trying to ruin Christmas for everyone else as well, but the fact remains that he's considered a terrible character for questioning Christmas at all. And Scrooge, yes he was terrible because he, too, was in a sense ruining Christmas for others. But still: he didn't care about Christmas, which is essentially why he was an evil character. Now I don't have a problem with the Whos down in WhoVille singing in a circle and celebrating love for Christmas, or Tiny Tim and his family blessing and loving one another, my problem is that that is not really all Christmas is about. So you either have to shun the whole thing, or try to get everyone in your family and your life to not get you a present, because you won't be getting them one. And if people are in the present buying frenzy, they are going to buy you one too, no matter how much you beg them not to. So there you go. Merry Christmas.