1. The Laundromat. At 8am , enroute to feed my friends cats I passed a Laundromat. Not only was it open but inside sat a lone man – doing his laundry.
2. A stack of unsold Christmas Trees. The Houston Garden Center near
our house appears to be the resting place for the surplus trees. The weather was damp and the sky was gray and that added to general gloom of the sight.
3. The cars in front of the X-rated video store. It too was open and while the parking lot was not SRO there were definitely customers inside. Of all the places to spend Christmas Day, a “Private Viewing Booth” is truly last on my list – right above “a prison cell”. Not that I’ve ever (knock wood) seen the inside of either them.
4. Christmas cards that arrive on Dec. 26th. They always look forlorn.
5. Wrapped Christmas gifts under the tree. On Dec. 24th they appear mysterious and festive. On Dec. 26th they appear tired and shabby.
6. Store shelves after the “Dec. 26th” holiday bargain folks have picked them clean. I’ve always wondered what happens to all the unsold decorations. Could someone enlighten me?
7. Stacks of leftover Christmas goodies in the grocery store. Who could possibly want a about to be stale sugar cookie bell sprinkled with red sugar?
8. A lone Christmas TV Ad that slips by and is still running on the 26th. I’m so over those ads anyway and ones that aren’t pulled on the 25th are not only tiresome, they are ludicrous
9. Bus terminals. Depressing under the best of circumstances. On Dec. 25th I would assume that they are soul stupefying.
10. Movie theaters. In Houston they tend to do a good business – mostly because I think folks need a break from to much “Christmas Cheer” and “Christmas Togetherness”. Movies are something a family can do together but it does not require conversation or any sort of interaction.
11. Pro sports events. I don’t feel any sorry for the athletes, they are paid such obscene amounts of money, nor sorry for the announcers who also earn a hefty salary. However, I don’t think the camera men and other behind the scenes folks make enough mega bucks to take the sting out of being away from their family.
12. Obligatory news stories of the “Troops at the Front Lines”. Those boys and girls belong home, celebrating the holiday with their parents or their wives and children. Especially the latter – so many of them are the parents of little ones. It’s the little ones that make Christmas a magical time.
13. Martha Stewart Magazine. No matter how hard we all try, Christmas never quite measure up to the yardstick held so firmly in her hand!
13 comments:
Ha! Good list!
My TT13 is up :)
This is a very sobering list. And you're right - those are some sad sights to see.
Thanks for stopping by She Lives.
I agree. Some of those would be very sad places to be. Although the "private viewing booth" would be sad any day of the year, IMHO.
Happy TT...and Happy New Year!
Wow, did you nail it! Right down to the last item. Very insightful and absolutely on target. I am always so glad when it is over. And, btw, our decorations, such as they are, did not go up until the 23rd!
Hmm those are actually some great ideas and settings for a story! Excellent list!
re: Martha- she can wave her yardstick all she wants, but we all know SHE's seen the inside of a prison cell.
As for things Christmas after the 25th? I'm more in the camp that STARTS Christmas on the 25th and continues the cheer until Jan. 6. Otherwise, it's just too depressing.
They say the best time to buy Christmas presents and decorations is right after the holidays. That's why things are so picked over. It's so sad though.
I find laundromats a depressing place anytime of year, let along on Christmas day! Thanks for stopping by my site. Have a happy New Year!
Oh, I dunno. I've always liked shopping after Christmas.
I love getting things 50% off. I also love zipping around in my new cart.
This is the best list I have read so far. Thanks so much for doing this.It had me rolling..all are awesome
Nice list - thank you. Though I have to confess that my cards went in the mail on the 22nd and most probably arrived on the 26th :(
Darnit, Guusje, I was hoping to get to you before you got to me. I was away for about a month and now I'm back and slowly but surely working my way down the blogroll. What fun to read a month's worth of your posts. I loved what you said to the judge. You go, girl!
Around here, people often toss their tree on the side of the highway. When I'm on my way to work, after Christmas, it makes me really sad to see that poor abandoned tree, tossed aside, usually with some tinsel or silvery 'icicles' still clinging. . . . .
Remember Anderson's "The Fir Tree?" Yeah, like that.
Post a Comment