Naughty or Nice

Why is it that the holidays bring out the worst in some people? Yesterday as I drug the kids around town with me doing errands, I kept running into what I can only assume were Ebeneezer's nieces and nephews.

First stop: The Post Office

Arguably the best place this time of year to see people brimming with cheer. In the parking lot, I met Elizabeth Scrooge, the owner of the sassy white sports car parked next to me. She sighed audibly, rolled her eyes and tapped her pointy little black boot as I unbuckled Hudson's seatbelt and got him out of the car. The whole ordeal took literally ten seconds, and then we cleared the way for her to enter her vehicle and carry on about her merry business.

Then as I handled my transactions at the kiosk in the hall, I was lucky enough to hear Mr. Eddie Scrooge chewing out a poor postal clerk. Unfortunately, his box was full so the mail carrier left the mail at his doorstep. He steamed, "What if it had rained?" (It hadn't. But just imagine the horror if his ValuPak coupons had been drenched.) And come to find out, this is the fourth USPS employee Eddie has berated over the situation. Let it go, Eddie!

Next stop: The Bank

Determined not to let the Scrooge siblings at the post office get me down, I was delighted to find a parking spot right up front. Just as I open the car door, I hear a man yell, "You wanna die?" I look back and see none other than Elmer Scrooge in his big, blue truck. He was yelling at a poor pedestrian who had walked in front of him. (Last I checked, Elmer, pedestrians commonly have the right-of-way). So the pedestrian stammered a surprised response...something to the effect of, "I didn't see you." And ol' Elmer so kindly yelled, "You didn't see a (bleep) truck? You're going to (bleep) die!" Um, thanks for your concern, Elmer. I'm sure Mr. Pedestrian appreciates you looking out for his safety.

Finally: The Library

We had a pretty average trip to the library. Checked out a few outer space books, and the like. As we tried to exit the parking lot, Emma Scrooge graced us with her drive-by presence. She honked and flipped off another vehicle simply for making a right turn. True, they were turning into the library parking lot. So perhaps she was just jealous of their literary pursuits, or maybe she was denied a library card as a child. Emma, if I knew your address, I'd sign you up for a library card of your very own, just so you can experience the joys of the public book-lending system.

The day as a whole was a good reminder to me that we're all busy, tired, and stressed out. But why? The holiday will come and go whether we're ready or not. The kids will enjoy their presents; and they'll never miss that kaleidoscope you forgot to buy. The cookies will taste great whether they look beautiful or not. So why don't we all just slow down and enjoy the season. Spread a little cheer to those we love and those we don't even know. This year, I'm going to try to be more patient when I have to wait in line; I'm going to smile to the clerks helping me; and I'm going to put a dollar or two into that red Salvation Army bucket. I may even stop and make small talk with the bell-ringer while I'm at it. So what do you say, wanna help me spread some joy? If we all work together, we can stop the Scrooges dead in their tracks.

{image here}