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According to Hofmann: Fighting Christmas

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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My gripes about Christmas arriving earlier and earlier have been well documented throughout the course of writing this column.

To put it in statistical terms, out of every 10 columns I write, seven of them contain something about the premature arrival of Christmas decorations, songs, movies, commercials and festivities ëƵ and those columns had nothing to do with Christmas or the holidays at all.

However, I decided a person never gets anywhere by just complaining unless their name is Karen, for some reason.

So, instead of writing out my complaints (and IëƵm well aware that is what IëƵm doing), I decided to take action by standing firm, stiffing my upper lip and drawing a line in the sandëƵwell, snow, in this case ëƵ and fighting Christmas.

For anyone who likes to read, John Grisham wrote a book called ëƵSkipping ChristmasëƵ where the characters decide to save money and skip Christmas to instead go on a cruise, much to the chagrin of their Christmas-crazed neighbors and friends.

For anyone who doesnëƵt like to read, the book was turned into the movie ëƵChristmas With the Kranks,ëƵ but you wouldnëƵt know that if you donëƵt like to read because you wouldnëƵt be reading this column, so never mind.

That being said, I just want it to be known that I wonëƵt be ëƵskippingëƵ Christmas. I will still observe, celebrate and go into crippling debt because of it.

What IëƵm doing is fighting Christmas, keeping it back and putting it in its place.

First, we need to establish what its place is.

To do that, we need to take a look at what its place shouldnëƵt be. Christmas should not be melding with Halloween to the point where I can actually see store shelves transitioning from the blacks and purples and the blood and the monsters of the Halloween season to reds and greens and the snow and reindeer of the Christmas season.

It was like a horror movie ëƵ but in reverse!

ëƵIëƵd like to speak to the manager,ëƵ I said to a store employee while that abomination was happening before my eyes.

ëƵWhatëƵs your name?ëƵ

ëƵM.ëƵ

ëƵSorry, we donëƵt bother the manager unless your name is Karen.ëƵ

Of course, there are some who would say the holly-jolliness shouldnëƵt begin until Dec. 1; however, IëƵm not a Grinch, and I believe Christmas should hit the population full force the Day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is a pre-Christmas shopping holiday, and you canëƵt fight the beast of retail. So deal with it, you soulless pagans!

Then we have to actually fight Christmas, and IëƵm not saying we need to sharpen candy canes into shivs or fill Molotov cocktails with eggnog because this is purely a psychological battle of wills.

For that to happen, people have to get out of their comfort zones and the best way to do that is to start at the biggest comfort zone, your own home.

Over the past few weeks, IëƵve been a terror to my wife and 12-year-old stepdaughter when it comes to exposure of pre-Christmas Christmas.

I normally tend to slightly groan and limp away from them when IëƵm assaulted by the garbled mass of crap I hear from their TikTok apps on their phones, but I now snap when I hear a Christmas song or any mention of Christmas being played.

ëƵWhat! No! Not Christmas! ItëƵs not even Thanksgiving! Skip! Skip it now! Now, now, now!ëƵ I scream and scream and then IëƵm ignored until I hold my breath and lose consciousness.

I gotta tell you, it somewhat works as theyëƵre now conditioned to quickly move on to another video if thereëƵs any sign of Christmas.

Of course, I occasionally forget where my keys are, where I live and my name, but itëƵs worth it.

ItëƵs also a small step that eventually leads to a stumble and a crash due to lack of oxygen to my brain, but itëƵs going to take baby steps and itëƵs going to truly take time for my method to make a difference.

However, if we start seeing Christmas stuff on the shelves at the same time as Halloween items next year, weëƵre going to have to resort to drastic measures and change all of our names to Karen.

ThatëƵll really get their attention.

According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, ëƵGood Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big OneëƵand Dying, TooëƵ and ëƵStupid Brain,ëƵ are available on Amazon.com.

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