They started to play Christmas music over the speaker system at work. I join the chorus of bloggers who believe Christmas is coming way the hell too early each year – we are going to see Christmas crap up before Labor Day if we are not mindful.  

I pointed out at work people forced to listen to Christmas music too early (sales people, office workers, and such) often becomes depressed, go bezerk, or barking mad – but they called my bluff. There isn’t paper in JAMA on the topic.

In contrast to this premature celebration of Christmas is the ongoing trend not to allow anyone to take off work for it. “In the good old days” people took a lot of time off – there was no where to go, not much to do on the farm but feed the animals; and the weather was too awful to travel. So a 12 days of Christmas, eating and drinking, did not interrupt anything important. Now we are supposed to show up the next day, bright and sober and have it all done.

Bah humbug.

12/24 falls on a Monday this year – new Spo-fans may not know I work at a clinic that worked used to be open on all holidays, including Labor Day and Memorial Day. My arrival put an end to that nonsense, but I am still expected to work the Friday after Thanksgiving and Monday, 24 December. Who the hell wants to see a doctor on Christmas Eve? Actually many people should see a psychiatrist that day, but they have enough sense do focus on getting ready for the morrow.  

This was a year of hardly any Hallowe’en spirit, and it is my favorite holiday. I wonder if there will be any Christmas spirit. We shall see.