Oh, woe and wretchedness. I’ve been tagged with another meme. Betty, the insanely fit biker (as in Lance Armstrong biker, not Harley Davidson biker) over at Itchy Bits has tagged me with this “chain letter from hell” as she calls it. Thanks for thinking of me, Betty. Pfft. The last time that I received an actual chain letter was in the fifth grade, and out of fear of 7 years of bad luck (or whatever the ill fortune), I frantically hand wrote (didn’t even have a typewriter at the time) and mailed ten letters to random people in the phone book. Hand wrote—can you imagine? Not sure that I even know how to write anymore…
Anyhow, here’s the rules of the chain letter, or meme, or whatever you want to call it:
-Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
-Share 7 facts about yourself.
-Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
-Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So, despite my recent upbeat posts on holiday decorations, I’ve decided to share 7 reasons why my Grinchiness is in abundance this holiday season. Those are facts, right? Yup. That’s what I thought. Here goes…
1. I just don’t understand the whole gift-giving thing with family. And no matter how confused I am or how much I complain, I’m guilted into taking part of the exchange anyway (pardon me, but I’m using guilted as a verb here). It completely baffles me. Because really, what it all boils down to is an exchange of money! Am I right? This year, I have a very strict budget of $15 per family member. It takes some creative thinking to limit a gift to $15, but I refuse to spend more. And the name-drawing thing does not work for me, because I have four different families to buy for.
GR and I don’t even exchange gifts. Mainly because his money is my money, and my money is my money (tee-hee!). What’s the point of giving him a list of things to buy me, when I can go shopping and buy them for myself? And vice-versa. Last year, we bought a gift for the house instead—a new toilet for our guest bathroom. I am sooooo Grinchy…
2. Christmas commercials drive me insane. In keeping with my gift-giving Grinchiness, I don’t understand how a husband can go out and buy his wife a car without discussing it with her first! Who does that? I mean, unless you’re a gazillionaire. And even then, I think that I would want some input.
And what’s with the jewelry commercials? I know that every kiss begins with Kay, but my God, who is that sentimentally unstable over jewelry? Well, unless it’s an engagement ring or something extremely shiny. I am sooooo Grinchy…
3. GR begs me to watch the old Christmas shows with him, but somehow I just can’t. I know! I try to watch them—really, I do! But five minutes into Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and I just want to drown myself in eggnog. Plus, I have laundry to do, y’all. And $15 gifts to wrap. I am sooooo Grinchy…
4. My company holiday party is this Saturday night, and I’m not thrilled about going. I’m not even sure why I’m going besides the fact that my good friend/co-worker guilted (v.) me into going. I see enough of these cubicle offenders during the week (not you, Sophie). I am sooooo Grinchy…
5. My route on the way home from the office takes me by one mall and two very popular shopping areas. Needless to say, traffic blows at Christmastime. Why can’t all of the crazies go shopping on the weekend? Why must they make a mockery of my already merciless commute home? I am sooooo Grinchy…
6. GR and I do not decorate the outside of our house. I truly love admiring other decorated houses, but I think that it’s a lot of trouble to hang lights. Ladder = trouble and possible ruptured kidney. I am sooooo Grinchy…
7. I hate fruitcake. I am sooooo Grinchy…
So, there you have it, y’all. Woe and wretchedness.
However, I must note that I’m not a total Grinch. There are many, many things that I love about Christmas. Just to name a few:
-spending Christmas day with GR’s family
-24-hour-a-day Christmas songs on the radio
-going to church with GR’s sister on Christmas eve
-riding the Macy’s Pink Pig with Big H and Phoo
-Christmas morning pancakes
-decorating our Christmas tree
-my cute little Christmas carolers
So, in all of my Grinchiness, I’m supposed to tag 7 others with this meme. I’m tagging:
A Hole in the Fence
All Adither
Cheaper than a Happy Meal
Christie’s World
Madame Queen
Mrs. W’s Kitchen
My Second Journal
Have fun with it, y’all!
I love you. Especially becaust of #2. Every kiss begins with Kay and ends with “WTF? This isn’t real gold, and what the hell is a diamond chip?”
I do NOT love that stupid Christmas movie about the ugly kid who wants a bb gun and gets a lamp shaped leg. Drives me crazy.
Also I hate cookie exchanges. Wow! 14 different kinds of already-stale-when-you-get-them cookies that hang around the house until January 14th when I throw them out owing to the fact that I don’t do any holiday entertaining.
AlphaDogMax’s last blog post..I’m Dreaming of a Whitewash Christmas?
Hubs and I say the same thing about the Christmas car commercials. It’s like “Hey, thanks for buying me a car with OUR money.” And if I have to hear that #$%)$@ piano music over the Zales commercial one more time, I swear…..well, whatever happens, it won’t be pretty.
Thanks for the tag. I’ll probably get around to it sometime in the next century!
Madame Queen’s last blog post..Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner!
Oh my gosh, Lulu… you continue to entertain me, even at 6:34am! Here I am disturbing Thundercat with my guffaws!
I gladly accept your meme challenge… look for it!
Mrs.W’s last blog post..Playing with New Layouts
I will accept your meme!! You knew I would.
I SO agree with you on every single point. We do though have a strand of lights around one of our trees outside and hubby put a bow on the hand rail.
One of the girls at work is freaking about what she is getting her husband and what he is getting him. We don’t have $200 we want to throw back and forth at each other..that is money for Aruba!@!
Agghhh.. I have on a freaking Christmas sweater today. I’ve been invited the last 6 years to this all girl ornament exchange party. ….maybe we’ll have an ice storm..I’m sure I’ll have fun once I get there..
OK..come by later today to see my meme
mp’s last blog post..Traffic because it kinda snowed and iced
Yeah okay, I’ll do this one! But seeing as how you already wrote about your grinchiness, I’ll come up with a different topic for mine. Although, dangit, I’m feeling especially grinchy today!
Christie’s last blog post..Occupational Hazards
Well, I finally got my butt over here to check out your list. Impressive! Grinchy is good if it means less consumerism! Your number one is what I complain about every year! Relatives voluntarily buy for my kids (not me or HG) and we then feel obligated (or pehaps embarassed ) to give a gift in return (they seem to expect it). A total money exchange….since we usually give gift cards (these people need nothing) it’s like I just bought my kids more presents…not even good presents…crappy presents. Ugh. Please stop! I always think I should donate money on their behalf instead of giving a gift…but that would confuse them and would lead to many perplexed looks on xmas.
bettybetty’s last blog post..7 Random Things - Chain Letter From Hell
Sweetheart, 24 hours a day of Christmas songs makes ME soooo grinchy. I mean, I can’t get that friggin’ Feliz Navidad out of my head for months.
How did your office party go? I remember the cubicle post was one of the first of yours I read. (And I kept coming back!) Also, try A Christmas Story for holiday movies. That one at least will make you laugh. Maybe. Grrr. I know, you’re trying to be tough.
Susan’s last blog post..Sunday
Does anyone actually LIKE fruitcake?? REally?
kelly’s last blog post..If I Ever Fall In Love