Still Life With Robin: Feeling Scroogy

by Peggy Robin

We all have a bit of Scrooge in us, I think. It’s probably a good thing in limited amounts; otherwise, long before the end of December you could overdose on holiday cheer and be at risk of blurting out to random, unsuspecting little children, “There’s no such thing as Santa.” (Which is just what happened to a local anchor in Chicago last week -- see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-3oCa07kjM).  It’s fine, I think, to hate one or two, or even three or more things about the season, no matter how beloved these things may be by others.

Here are the top three things on my own personal Scrooge List:

Bell-ringing at grocery stores. Yes, the charity is worthy and deserves your support…but the noise! I just can't take that unceasing constant noise! How can grocery story workers stand it, much less shoppers?

The Little Drummer Boy. Is there a more annoying Christmas song out there, ba-rump-a-bum-bum? Oh wait, there’s the Carol of the Bells, which seems to combine the endless dinging of the grocery store noise (see above) with the repetitiveness of the Little Drummer Boy.

Egg nog. It’s at every holiday party but why? It’s sickeningly rich, loaded with sat-fat and sugar. And that’s just the non-alcoholic content. If it’s made with brandy or rum or bourbon, then it’s like a candy drink that's all too easy to up end up downing by the cupful, without getting any sense of how strong it is. Until, of course, you find yourself staggering back for a refill. 

Although I say it’s fine to hate more than three things about the holiday season, I think I’d better stop here. As I said, Scrooginess is best expressed in small doses. If you personally have a longer list of things to complain about, you may be happy to learn that there’s an official holiday for just this sort of complaining: It’s Bah Humbug Day, and it’s observed on December 21.  You can find out about it here: http://bit.ly/dgNQ4f.

In the meantime, enjoy everything else about the holidays – including any or all of the above, if they’re not on your personal Scrooge list. (whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, the Winter Solstice or any or all other celebrations between now and New Year’s Day!