This was originally a response to a friends blog on MySpace (totally, like, old school yo!) that kept growing and eventually evolved into a blog of it's own. Enjoy.
Apparently, you had the exact same experience working for Sears that I did working as a bouncer in a night club. Somehow, that's not surprising.
And about Christmas, I know exactly what you mean. Maybe it was my rebel attitude during those late-teenage-to-early-twenties years where I rejected anything fuzzily family related. Maybe it was my birthday being so close to the 25th along with my dislike of attention when not necessary. Or maybe it was just that stubborn-ness that seems to be genetic on my dads side. At any rate, for 10 or 15 years Christmas just didn't mean the same thing it did when I was a kid. It changed from the fuzzy, warm, magical time of year into a commercial, over-hyped, bastardization of Capitalism. Damn you punk rawk attitude.
But this year, I did something different. Sort of on accident, but I usually watch the appropriate Holiday movies on Christmas Day or a day or two before. (A Christmas Story is my favorite, one of my favorite movies in general, and is always the one I look forward to I can watch it 5 or 6 times in one day, which is great, since it runs for 24 hours) This year I watched Charlie Brown Christmas at the very beginning of the month, which, of course, came along with the commercials for other Christmas movies. The original, slightly disturbing claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the old Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Story, It's A Wonderful Life; the movies I remember watching at houses I didn't know and with family I wasn't familiar with at random Christmas parties my parents dragged us to, but it was all ok since it was Christmas, the decorations were the same, and my attention was taken by this singular "Christmas" thing.
Those movies reminded me of that feeling I got as a kid. I remembered laying in bed with the red, blue, orange, and yellow glow of the outside Christmas lights beaming into my bedroom window, not being able to sleep not because of the light, but because my mind was taken with a swirl of Holiday inspired thoughts. I remembered the smell of the Christmas Tree wafting upstairs to my room, waking me up early every day to run downstairs to see the spectacle. I remembered the journey to Grandma's house listening to Christmas music on the radio. There were only a few songs that I liked, but it was the season, and when I was 8, that made it all ok. I remember going to see my cousins along with my uncle in the Santa Suit, knowing it was him, but being the oldest at the bright old age of 8 or 10ish, not telling my younger relatives. I remembered sitting on my grandmas green shag carpet, (no, I'm not that old, it was there until 2000) and having to search for smaller Legos that got dropped into it. And the food, oh my the food And all the other what-have-yous associated with this time of year.
Maybe it took all those years of rebelling and rejecting the exhibition of Christmas to really realize what it actually was. And is.
Ah the memories.
Then I went and ruined all those renewed feelings by doing my Christmas shopping on eBay.
Damn you convenient innerwebs!
Apparently, you had the exact same experience working for Sears that I did working as a bouncer in a night club. Somehow, that's not surprising.
And about Christmas, I know exactly what you mean. Maybe it was my rebel attitude during those late-teenage-to-early-twenties years where I rejected anything fuzzily family related. Maybe it was my birthday being so close to the 25th along with my dislike of attention when not necessary. Or maybe it was just that stubborn-ness that seems to be genetic on my dads side. At any rate, for 10 or 15 years Christmas just didn't mean the same thing it did when I was a kid. It changed from the fuzzy, warm, magical time of year into a commercial, over-hyped, bastardization of Capitalism. Damn you punk rawk attitude.
But this year, I did something different. Sort of on accident, but I usually watch the appropriate Holiday movies on Christmas Day or a day or two before. (A Christmas Story is my favorite, one of my favorite movies in general, and is always the one I look forward to I can watch it 5 or 6 times in one day, which is great, since it runs for 24 hours) This year I watched Charlie Brown Christmas at the very beginning of the month, which, of course, came along with the commercials for other Christmas movies. The original, slightly disturbing claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the old Frosty the Snowman, A Christmas Story, It's A Wonderful Life; the movies I remember watching at houses I didn't know and with family I wasn't familiar with at random Christmas parties my parents dragged us to, but it was all ok since it was Christmas, the decorations were the same, and my attention was taken by this singular "Christmas" thing.
Those movies reminded me of that feeling I got as a kid. I remembered laying in bed with the red, blue, orange, and yellow glow of the outside Christmas lights beaming into my bedroom window, not being able to sleep not because of the light, but because my mind was taken with a swirl of Holiday inspired thoughts. I remembered the smell of the Christmas Tree wafting upstairs to my room, waking me up early every day to run downstairs to see the spectacle. I remembered the journey to Grandma's house listening to Christmas music on the radio. There were only a few songs that I liked, but it was the season, and when I was 8, that made it all ok. I remember going to see my cousins along with my uncle in the Santa Suit, knowing it was him, but being the oldest at the bright old age of 8 or 10ish, not telling my younger relatives. I remembered sitting on my grandmas green shag carpet, (no, I'm not that old, it was there until 2000) and having to search for smaller Legos that got dropped into it. And the food, oh my the food And all the other what-have-yous associated with this time of year.
Maybe it took all those years of rebelling and rejecting the exhibition of Christmas to really realize what it actually was. And is.
Ah the memories.
Then I went and ruined all those renewed feelings by doing my Christmas shopping on eBay.
Damn you convenient innerwebs!
By the way, I love the pictures of you conducting your band!