John

Meh Christmas!

What was originally a typo in a Christmas text from my good friend Alyssa, has since become our Christmas motto and a regular text exchange we have every Christmas morning.

I’m not a big Christmas person. 

Some people have said this makes me a Scrooge or a Grinch (which is a super chill way to empathize with someone). Really it’s just… Christmas is meh. I haven’t had any set Christmas traditions in years, I usually work Christmas (Wawa), and I think Christmas is more fun with a partner (currently tragically single). I enjoy the random holiday parties, friend gift exchanges, and other activities that occur around the holiday more than the day itself.

I work Christmas (Wawa). You’re welcome for my valuable service - I understand people need somewhere to go and get a Sprite Christmas morning. So it’s a regular day for me: wake up in the dark, feed 5-7 cats (2 of my own, a foster, and a varying number of outside guys), and go to work.I gotta say, I love the empty roads on the way to work on a holiday. Peaceful morning Philly is my favorite version of Philly. Everyone please stay home in bed more often.. 

Working Christmas is pretty chill because it’s a much slower day than normal. So we’re getting holiday pay for an easier day of work (no one tell the higher ups). Highlights of the day are  all the snarky responses we give to people constantly calling to ask if we’re open - “Nope, it’s just me answering the phones”

Nothing eventful happens at work and it’s slow enough that I’m able to sneak out early. I'm happy to exchange an hour of holiday pay to get a headstart on that drive to my family in the suburbs. I rush home to shower, wrangle gifts, and feed and love the cats a little bit before I’m out the door.

Then I drive out to the burbs. Can I talk about the parts of my day that don’t take place in Philly?

I guess we’ll see

[PARTS OF DAY NOT IN PHILLY HAVE BEEN REDACTED]

So I get back home.

J/K… I drive out to the burbs and have a very low key gift exchange and Christmas dinner with my mom, stepdad, and niece. Small gatherings are more my vibe and I’m glad to not have an overwhelming, crowded function on a busy day. I wasn’t too ambitious with gifts but my niece is happy with her Ulta gift card and tickled by the note inside “Don’t spend it all in one place,” which I am obligated to write as an uncle.

I also had fun with my gift for my mom. All she asked for was a thoughtful letter to her about what she means to me so obviously that had to be a bit too. I kept joking with her that I was going to hire a college kid to write it for me, and ended up making a fake out letter on ChatGPT (boo AI though). The fake letter had her in tears and she was a really good sport about the real letter reveal afterwards. I’m now realizing I should have used ChatGPT to write this.

I dip out after dinner and some relaxation with the fam and wind my way back to Philly to enjoy the rest of my night cozying up at home with the cats (only one of them actually likes to cuddle) and retiring at a respectable 10pm bedtime.

Honestly, not the Meh’est Christmas.