Christmas comes charging down the tracks like a festive freight train in the month of December. There is so much to do: Gifts to buy, treats to make, programs to attend, trees to be trimmed. Poisoned chocolate-eating dogs to be saved. It can seem a bit overwhelming, or even burdensome.
What adds to that burden for me, is that December is a necessarily very busy month for me at work. I go into the office earlier, stay later, and spend some Saturdays there. Add to that an unfriendly virus or two, and you have the makings of a mind-numbing and exhausting run up to Christmas.
That is why, occasionally, a little bit of Scrooge-like behavior manages to flicker in my demeanor and conversation.