Donna Lundy

Since I was 11 years old and burned at the Christmas gifting and receiving with a joke present and no effort to buy or rent the one and only thing I truly wanted for Christmas, I’ve not been a fan of Christmas. Of over 50 years of Christmases, I can honestly only recount 3 that were enjoyable. So again, I’m not a big fan.

Evidently a lot of other people feel the same way. I’ve seen three different messages that say “Merry F’ing Christmas” or a more direct variation of same. I don’t recall ever seeing that or hearing that before. So I find it odd that I see that three different places this year.

My dad used to say that Christmas is nothing but an excuse for people to go out and spend money that they don’t have on people that they don’t give shit about the rest of the year but feel pressured to buy them gifts (that one in five aren’t going to want) for one day in December.

I don’t agree with that completely. To be brutally frank, if I don’t give a shit about you, I’m not going to be buying you any gifts. Or cards.

It’s the part about spending money that you don’t have that is more likely true. A lot of people overspend on Christmas. To be fair, it’s not just the gifts. Lots of people spend on fixing up or decorating the house and yard, sending out Christmas cards, supplies for baking cookies, groceries for big meals with family and friends, and many travel great distances at great expense to “go home for Christmas.”

All I can tell you is that if you expect to spend a lot of money at Christmas, you should save up during the year and work up a reasonable budget and stick to it.

Merry Christmas.