It's over

Christmas and the new year period that is.  Not that I am an old curmudgeon but in a way I am as relieved as ever that the whole shebang is ended for another year.There are several reasons why i feel like this, I'll try to explain.

The season of goodwill to all men (and presumably by extension)  to all women.  Great idea in principle I suppose but much of the goodwill seems to be false, artificial and insincere especially to people who are not family, friends or acquaintances.  to express greetings, bonhomie and wishes to virtual strangers for  short period each year seems odd, why should it only be at the years end and not throughout the whole year?  Surely that would make life a little more pleasant every day by at least acknowledging that there are others on this planet apart from ones immediate circle.

Then there are the annual exhortations from all manner of shops, businesses and services to buy their wares in ever greater quantities in an almost vulgar display of conspicuous consumption much of which expenditure, apart from food items, will be useless, unwanted or just cast aside at the end of the season of merrymakiing. Thist is just another example of how folk are being conned into thinking that happiness can be bought no matter what the expense may be.  From long ewperience I know that this be done, happiness is a state of being contenet with what you already have and the warmth, love and security of friends and family around you.  Not for one moment am I about to launch on a religious  bent because those who know me understand that I am not in the least of such mind, rather instead a home brewed humanitarian approach to life.  Yes I have beliefs to sustain me especially in difficult times, they tend to be if anything of a spiritual nature, totally unconnected with any form of conventional, organised religion.

This time of year is seen by many as a time of reflection which perhaps in itself is not a bad thing.  But, then again, why should such personal introspection be seemingly cast aside for the other weeks of the year, it is just something that the media likes to indulge and then move to other seemingly more important matters such who is shagging who, celebrity tittle tattle and more besides.  Perhaps many folk including politicians of all ilks could do worse than consider a little and occasional self-examination.

The foregoing is just some of my reasons for an increasing dislike of the so called festive period.  Added to these is that as each year passes is a greater awareness of things past, not so recent past but back to childhood.  Being born into an age of austerity gifts at Christmas were mot manifold but those received were very appreciated and treasured for many years, unlike today where conspicuous over indulgence particularly of children is almost expected otherwise parents  may be thought of as modern day relatives of Ebenezer Scrooge. 

Many childhood Christmases for me are very treasured memories, times of great excitement and happiness, no matter what Santa brought for me.  One particular year a Hornby clockwork trainset appeared  in a huge box, I was just so overjoyed no matter that it was secondhand but came with several engines, numerous carriages and wagons plus a huge assortment of track and points.  My father, bless him, was almost as excited as I was at being able not only have tracked down such a thing but also have been actually able to by it form.  Believe me, many, many happy hours were enjoyed playing with it for a good number of years. 

What particularly stands out in my memory are my parents, especially my mother who died sixty years ago this year, thankfully I lost my father many years later.  It is especially at Christmas that they are both uppermost in my thoughts much of the time, many happy memories and some sad ones as well.  I miss them dreadfully even now especially my mother for the short time we had together.

These memories and the gross over commercialisation of the whole thing I find somewhat upsetting but try to not let it be obvious to anyone even to those that know me well, consequently it is not an easy time of year for me.  I just wish that Christmastime could return to being it once was, a simple, happy and sincere season rather than what it has become.