Christmas

I really don't like this time of the year. Most days are dull and dark, cold and damp. Also there is the buildup to Christmas. For one thing I'm not a Christian, so it seems irrelevant to me. I feel a (probably self-imposed) need to comply with tradition, although I don't particularly want to. We have a glut of advertisements trying to persuade us to buy luxury items, and persuading us that we really need them. Adverts for toys blackmail parents through their children. This is really hard for people who are not well off. Charities feed the poor and keep them warm for a day or two, which is nice, but isn't their need at least as great for the rest of the year? There is so much hypocrisy. Be nice to everyone for one day, and that makes up for one's indifference for the rest of the time. It upsets me. I'm spending Christmas Day with friends. This is unusual for me, in that I don't celebrate it, but they already know how I feel about it all. I won't spoil the day, and am certainly looking forward to spending it with them, but I know there won't be any fuss.