Scrooge? Me?!

I've been away a while, and now here I am with a little rant. I apologize in advance. I'm sure this will be no fun at all to read.

My brothers-in-law have accused me of Scrooginess. Sometimes my hubby accuses me of having a heart that's "two sizes too small."

I think they think it's because I was raised not believing in Santa Claus. You can agree with this practice or not, but one thing I can say is that my parents have never, no not ever, lied to me. We had Christmases filled with family, candlelit church services and caroling.

Just because I get irate if I hear Christmas music at the store before Halloween or am accosted by Christmas trees and mall Santas does not make me a Scrooge.

I also get irate if the Salvation Army bell ringers are deprived of their bells. The Salvation Army gives many people Christmases who would otherwise be forced to treat the holiday like an ordinary day. My grandma was a huge supporter of the Salvation Army and I can't pass a donation bucket without thinking of her (and Uncle John, too, but for a totally different and semi-hilarious reason...story to be told at a later date. Maybe.)

Also, people who gripe over hearing "Merry Christmas." If you don't like it, don't say it back to me. Ignore me. Don't start a petition to have it banned from the world. In my experience, most people don't care if you say it. Most people will smile and say it back. It's something to connect us to strangers, even if only for a moment. Two of my bosses are Hindu and I have a very good friend who is Jewish and none of them have a problem with me celebrating "my" holiday. There must be a small handful of people who want to make life difficult for Christmas-celebrators. Boycotting Nativity scenes, Christmas trees and religious Christmas carols. I don't particularly agree with the history behind Halloween, but I definitely wouldn't presume to boycott the celebration of it.

I'm just sayin...