Or, ‘Why It’s A Good Thing To Be Bah Humbug’

Now, this time of year our senses are assaulted by all manner of ‘festive’ atrocities, from glitter, retina-scorching flashing lights, bunting, blow-up snowmen and all manner of ‘joyous’ nonsense designed to make us feel good about ourselves. The trouble is, there is a distinct proportion of the population, me included, that simply can’t stand all this rubbish, the song and dance it involves; and prefer to opt out.

Events in life should be like an email marketing list. If you don’t like it – you should be able to opt out without being bombarded by niceties, goodwill and cheer in your face; conversely to also be branded a scrooge, a miser and an unhappy troll. And people who I have been speaking to recently, and people who have been reading my tweets with my favourite hashtag, ‘#bahhumbug’ may, wrongly, assume that I’m such a person; except that I’m not remotely a miserable git. I’m actually a rather happy person! If I were one of the Seven Dwarfs I would be Happy…. (Or Dopey, as I once was in a school play, but that’s not important right now).

Therefore, when it comes to all this ‘festive cheer’ that starts as early as September, I quite simply opt out. I don’t get involved; I ignore it with every bone in my body. I don’t want to walk around with a cheap nasty santa hat branded with glittery writing sending out fake messages of goodwill. I don’t want to hear sleigh bells in the streets in October. I don’t want to buy any of the tat you always find at the nationwide Christmas German Markets, which is just the same as the tat that was on offer LAST year but with the price raised a little bit further. I don’t want to get sloshed on Gluhwein at 11am, nor eat an overpriced glorified hot dog that I’ll surely regret the next day anyway.

But for some reason, people that don’t want to do this are somehow ‘miserable’….

Well, I want to tell you, people of Britain and the world, that that’s just not on! I am festive in my own way; I’m a very positive person that sees the good in everything and everyone. Just because I don’t dress it up in glitter is not a bad thing! I move silently, like a Christmas Ninja…I don’t arrive with a fanfare; I do my thing, and I leave…I spread good cheer in my own way, usually subtly. And I’m not the only one like that; there will be millions of people out there that feel the same as I do, that could do without all the nonsense that the world makes us feel that we should be doing – so we can go about our daily lives and live it the way we want to without feeling we should bow to social pressure, whilst looking an idiot in a pair of velour antlers. (Because it’s ‘festive’).

No, readers. I’m here to tell you that IT’S OK to be like this! It’s positive! It’s not a bad thing at all. Do not allow yourselves to be taken in by the much-hyped seasonal bull**** that it really is…

And you know what? Because I haven’t subscribed to all the nonsense, I’m a MUCH happier person as a result! I have got on with things, I’m continuing working on voiceover projects on a day to day basis. In fact the last few weeks have been the busiest ever, and the near and not-so-near future are already looking incredibly positive indeed.

Why?

Focus. I’ve not allowed myself to be distracted in the ridiculously long lead-up to the Christmas break. I’ll be working right up to next Friday, then I will be taking a break. (I’m not that stupid). However, if work came my way during that break, then yes, I am prepared to do it. Why would I refuse it? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to be chained to my desk every day, and I won’t be proactive in finding work during the break; but if work comes to me, yes, I’m there. Absolutely.

So, ultimately, my message is simply thus, this Christmas. Do what you want. Do what feels right. Don’t be pressurised into doing things you don’t want to do ‘because it’s festive’. (One phrase I’ll coincidentally ban when I’m Prime Minister.). Have fun, enjoy yourselves, and be kind to others. And as Metallica once said – ‘Nothing Else Matters’….

Merry Christmas everyone….

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