Last week was chaotic. I was able to steal some time for writing but when ever I went to do blog work the kids kept interrupting me. It was vexing. And then there was the cooking for turkey day. And the drama of turkey day. It all served to remind me that I am really coming to dislike this damn season. It seems to heighten the selfish sense of entitlement that people have. It brings out the gluttonous tendencies of people who preach diet culture, because it's the holidays and it would be rude to turn down every single dish offered to you. And then there are the damn bell ringers trying to guilt you into giving them money for what's actually a scam.
Salvation Army is anti-LGBT+ and pretty much against anyone who isn't their flavor of Christianity. If I had a penny for every time I've had the thought of putting a bell ringer who is telling me that I don't have the charitable spirit of the holidays because I didn't give them all my loose change into a wall, I'd be rich beyond my dreams. If I had a penny for every time I had gotten looks for not heaping my plate with something from every dish on the table, I would be almost as rich. And we won't get into how much money I'd theoretically have if I had decided to 'just make nice' with some of my relatives because 'it's the holidays and you only get one family.'
If you're no onboard the cheerful train, you're scorned and reviled. You're told that you are what's wrong with the holidays. You are told that you're the one bringing down everyone's spirits because you're not joyfully singing along with Bing Crosby. Gods help you if you actually announce that you hate this time of year. Then you get people trying to convert you to liking it by love bombing you and attempting to learn the prefect present to bribe you with.
And oh boy does it get messy if you're not Christian. The cultural attitude that Christianity is the default for the US makes me want to put people through walls. I'm not a violent person despite the violence that I write into my books. But that attitude though. I've had a lot of bad experiences with people who waved the flag of Christianity and I'm doing what I can to protect my kids from it. I don't want my sons to worry about some asshole trying to light them on fire because they're not Christian. (It happened to me, I got even. The guy didn't mess with me again or start randomly flipping switched on equipment in the physics lab. A little electricity goes a long ways.)
Why in fuck can't people just let others celebrate their holidays in peace? Why is it that between now and the end of the year, you will find some of the most aggressive conversion campaigns going on? I don't know. I do know, however, that between people actively telling me that I and my family are going to be tortured for eternity because we don't believe in their god and businesses saying that they're only recognizing the Christian and (occasionally) Jewish holidays that it's all bullshit. It is a season that is actively hostile to non-Christians.
Only Easter is worse. Because there is no focus on gift giving but you get all the rest of the guilt trip about family stuff and how you should 'forgive' people who have done you wrong in horrible ways because they're family. It doesn't matter if you are still wounded, making them feel better about it is more important. I hate that. I'm so sick of holiday music. I'm so tired of the pressure to give the fanciest things. I'm disgusted with the gluttony as a recovered anorexic who happens to have diabetes. And I'm furious with the people who want to act like everything's 'normal' when there's still a goddamn pandemic going on.
/rant
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