Whos Down in Whoville

I've been trying to get in the Christmas spirit. If you've worked retail during the holidays at any point in your life you probably understand how it can suck the life out of the Christmas season for you. This is my fourth Christmas with Deseret Book and my seventh in retail and I'm pretty sure Christmas has become less and less of a favorite holiday with each year.

One of my friends called me on my Grinch-ness and I realized how my negativity was affecting other people. I really don't want to spread my bah humbugs so I made a concentrated effort to get into it. It took doing some Christmas shopping, wrapping some presents while drinking hot chocolate, and watching some White Christmas and the Glee and New Girl Christmas episodes for me to finally feel like it was Christmas. However, I still felt out of it, like I was just going through the motions.

So my friend, Kira, and I went on a drive to look at Christmas lights. I haven't done that since I was a little kid. I can remember my mom taking us out in Roosevelt, UT to look at lights. Pretty sure that's the last time I've done that as the sole purpose in driving around. It helped a lot too.

Then I went to the mall...


POOF!


There went any semblance of Christmas spirit I had. It all reminded me of the Whos Down in Whoville from The Grinch who Stole Christmas. And lately I've been just thinking about the excess of Christmas and how we lose the meaning of Christmas when we focus so much on the gifts, both giving and receiving. Pretty sure it's not the end of the world if you can't get a gift for someone on Christmas.


Pretty much I'm thinking that my kids will only get one nice present each and then a few small things (if that). I may change my tune after a few years of being out of the world of retail, but as of right now that is the plan. Will my kids be spoiled? Damn right they will be. But they will probably not be spoiled on Christmas. I just hate how the commercialism of Christmas overshadows the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ and how God sent His Son to sacrifice Himself for us. That is the true gift of Christmas, and I hope that I can someday convey this to my children without seeming like the Nazi parent who will only give his kids a few presents that day.

I think a huge part of this desensitizing to the magical world of Christmas is that, for retailers, it starts so freaking early! I've been listening to Christmas music since November 1st. Let's just skip Thanksgiving altogether and go right for the kill. And working for Deseret Book sometimes makes me feel like I'm capitalizing on people's religion. So when people ask me why I don't like Christmas music, or why I groan when I hear it or think of the word Christmas, I tell them to work for a day at Deseret Book during the holidays and then see how cheery they are. The people are grumpy and snappy. They're extra demanding. And they think you can just pull these products out of a place where the sun don't shine. I'm sorry, but I'm not the big fat man from the North Pole. I don't have little elves who do my work for me. Hate to disappoint. (That might be a whole other post worthy topic.)


I guess I've just been feeling really detached from all of it lately and I'm not sure why. Christmas is a week away and it doesn't feel real. It's going to zoom by like the rest of the year has and before I know it I will be in basic with the Navy, seeing the world, and doing some pretty cool stuff. Ahhhh yeah!!!

In closing, I do have to say that having friends and family around has helped me keep up with the holiday spirit. Kids are so cute during Christmas, and it has been fun to watch Gigi get so excited about Santa Claus coming to give her gifts. And Kira and I have been trying to be positive and to help each other be in the mood for Christmas. I just hate that it's a battle trying to force myself to be Christmas-y every year. Someday that will not be the case. I hope. 

Attitude of Gratitude #16

Ok, now I'm caught up to today. I'm grateful for:

Glee 

This season hasn't really been my favorite because the plot seems to be trying a little too hard, but the last couple episodes have been game changers. I am always a Gleek (I have been a fan since the pilot episode...the first time it aired before Glee was a blip on the radar...yeah...) and tonight I watched it and the music was vastly better this episode than it has been all season. The Adele mash-up at the end was my absolute favorite. 

 

Cafe Rio

Always reliable for a good meal, Cafe Rio never disappoints. Oh, how I love your sweet pork barbacoa, Cafe Rio. Thank you. Thank you. 

 

MHE

When I was living in Rexburg with one of my best friends, we started what we called Man Home Evening, a spinoff from Family Home Evening which is a night set aside to spend time with your family. Man Home Evening is a night set aside to spend with your best guy friends. Tonight I had MHE with Adam who was a roommate and coworker and is a good friend of mine now. It was good to catch up with him and just hang out for a bit.

Challenge #8

Post the show you are addicted to at the moment.

I have a few shows that I am so in love with right now.

1. Big Bang Theory

My friend lent me black-market copies of the first three seasons and I am hooked. I love the antics of the four intelligent nerds and their hot neighbor. It is witty, charming, and downright hilarious. Bazinga!

2. GLEE!

I have been a Gleek since the very first episode. It is such a great show. The music is fantastic, the writing is superb, it just doesn't get any better. Granted, some of the stuff they do is a little soap opera-like, but, hello, it's about high school. You cannot tell me that, when you were in high school, things weren't a little like a soap opera. I would marry Rachel Berry. Finn's a freaking idiot. 'Nough said.

3. Bones

This is one of those shows, like Big Bang Theory, that I thought "That looks dumb," when I first saw the commercials for the series. I'm not sure why I thought that with Bones. And, actually, when I first started watching it I remember thinking "Dr. Brennan is too serious. I don't know if I can stand this." But I apparently could stand it because I love this show now.

4. Raising Hope

Talk about freaking hilarious. The parents in this show are so, so, so funny. And the mom is Martha Plimpton who some of you may recognize from the 80s classic The Goonies. The premise of Raising Hope is silly but, then again, the whole show is silly. I cannot get enough of it.

Judging by this you would think I watch a lot of television, but I really don't. DVR is a great friend of mine, but I still don't get to watch a whole lot. I could not think of more that I am addicted to at the moment so four is all you get even though it's a random number. It isn't random to me because it is my favorite number.

New Directions

Ha! I kill myself. I was going to name this post something lame like "Community Park Branch" but I decided to be more creative. Then I was thinking that the main point of this post is how things are changing in my life. So I thought..."New Directions." Why does that sound familiar?

Probably because of...
The Glee Club in the tv show is called New Directions.
So glad I could start this post with an aside.

But, first, I read an article in OK! Magazine (we get the subscription mysteriously at our house and we're not sure why. Don't judge) about the upcoming season of Glee and its already popular Britney Spears episode. I really hope all the hype is worth it. It's Glee of course it will be worth it. Right?

I am so excited for that episode because it is where they will expand the character of Brittany, the ditzy blonde cheerleader that dances like a maniac. She is one of my favorites.

Looking at this picture, Heather Morris (Brittany) actually sort of looks like Britney Spears. I never would have guessed. Anyway...if you could not tell...I am stoked about the new season starting in like two weeks.

Anyway...

On to the real purpose of this post.

I have switched wards (if you don't know what I'm talking about by wards click here). The singles ward in Rigby was just not doing it for me. It took them a year and a half to give me a calling and, even then, three or four weeks to set me apart (they have yet to actually do it. I guesstimate that it would have taken six weeks for them to actually set me apart). Stick a fork in me; I am done.

I work with a girl who goes to this awesome branch in Idaho Falls. She was telling me about it and had been telling me all about their fun activities while I just sat around being mad about how dumb my ward was. She had invited me to come but I was going through a bad, dark part of my life and so I never really wanted to go. But things have been changing for me lately and so when she invited me to a dance they were having on the Snake River pier in Idaho Falls I decided to go. It had been a long, long, long time since I'd been to a YSA dance.

Man, am I glad I did! It was so much fun! And I met some really cool peeps, most of which were really cute girls.

So that Sunday I went to the branch with my coworker/friend (Lindsey). It was such a breath of fresh air. The Spirit was so strong and I could feel the love the presidency had for the members and the unity within the branch.

Since then I have been to their FHE and a visiting night in which we go around and invite people to come to the branch. If you know me, the last couple years I have been pretty antisocial (not all entirely my fault really) so this is a big step for me. I loved it though. This has been such a good week!

So, Rigby Singles Ward, hasta la vista!

Hellooooooooo Community Park Branch!

Woot!

Adieu.

Happy Birthday to Me! Pt. 2

Why I split this up into two posts, I haven't a clue. Just wanted to keep you in suspense.

The second half of my birthday went as follows:

• Wrote a blog about the first half of my birthday.
• Checked Facebook. Felt loved from all the birthday wishes on there.
• Read outside in the nice warm sunshine.
  
• Finished the book (a book review to come so stay tuned).
  
• Watched two episodes from the first season of Glee.
  
• Went to dinner with my parents, Gigi, Kate, Rico, and the twins at Texas Roadhouse. It was delicious!
• Ate some delicious coconut cream cake at Kate and Rico's house.
• Got Pinocchio on DVD, a set of Dominoes, and an armband for my iPod from the parents and a Barnes and Noble gift card from Kate and Rico (They know how to please me. Mike was a smart guy).
• Talked to one of my best friends, Jeremy Young, on the phone. He called to wish me a happy birthday. We reminisced a little about his conversion to the gospel. I really needed to hear the things he said so it was also an inspired phone call. Thanks, Jeremy!
• Got a date lined up for Friday.
  
• Checked my blog. Got more lovings and birthday wishes. Thanks, Tianna and Megan!
  
• Completed Part Two of the blog-post for my birthday happenings.
  

All in all it was a really great day full of relaxation, shopping, family, friends, and fun! Here is to another year of life and great things!

27th Year of Life Here I Am!