Christmas Metaphors

I get so caught up in writing this blog, I sometimes forget that the holidays are here. I completely forgot to post something about Thanksgiving last month. These next few days will be some thoughts about the season.

Around this time of year, people like to resort to name-calling when someone they know just isn't in the right mood for Christmas. The most common names are "Scrooge" and "Grinch." These come from classic Christmas tales that have long outlived their authors.

However, people don't always use the right metaphor when referring to someone who's being a real downer when everyone else is expecting lots of good cheer around this time of year. To be certain, Ebenezer Scrooge had a lot of really bad stuff happen to him during Christmas. He wanted to make everyone else feel his misery during the holidays. And going only by the book, the Grinch didn't like all the noise that took place and just wanted everyone to be quiet that day.

After I became an adult and had to work during holidays, I wasn't able to go home to see my family. My Mom once called me a "Grinch" because of this. I said, "Mom, the Grinch went out of his way to wreck Christmas for everyone. I'm not acting like the Grinch." "Well, then you're Scrooge." "No, Scrooge was hesitant to give his employee the day off. If anything, my boss is being Scrooge, but I know he enjoys Christmas, so that's not really the case."

Of course, the inevitable "You ruined Christmas, you Scrooge!" will be drummed up. Well, Scrooge didn't really ruin Christmas. He snapped at everybody, but they just went about their business and didn't let him get in the way of having a good time. And of course, Scrooge changed his ways in time for the big day. Come to think of it, the Grinch had a change of heart as well.

I think it's time we came up with a new metaphor that can be more aptly applied to people who just never get in the holiday spirit. We need a classic story about somebody who completely hates Christmas and never changes their mind about it. The only problem is that a story about someone who goes to their grave without celebrating the spirit of Christmas really won't become popular like "A Christmas Carol" or "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."

It's interesting to note that Charles Dickens, one of literature's most important writers ever and Dr. Seuss, one of the most important children's authors, came up with these two characters who are as closely associated with Christmas as Jesus and Santa Claus. Not even William Shakespeare was able to do that. It's too bad he didn't center "Hamlet" around the holidays. That would give us a whole new Christmas metaphor to describe people who go bonkers and kill their relatives at Christmas.