Festivus for the Rest of Us

if you never watched seinfeld, you won't know what i am talking about. however if you did, you know what festivus is. it's for those of us who feel a certain disdain for christmas. all of those feelings of love and peace come into conflict with the pain that seems to rear its little head the most intensely during this time of year.

in honor of that television tradition, let me dedicate this post to those people in my life who have disappointed me this past year.

1) my spouses employer. you renigged on a promise of job title and pay. you then did away with vacation time. all of this to save money. you are a greedy pig.

2) employers i worked for or attempted to work for. too numerous to list. you all had a few things in common: an inability to keep your word; an inability to communicate your intentions, even when they had changed; and a refusal to own up to your end of any misunderstanding or conflict. you're all flakes.

3) our landlord. you've let this place fall apart while raising the rent. you made an illegal entry then threw a hissy fit when we called you on it. you have failed to keep your promises of repairs and landscape upkeep. and you have had the gall to complain about your financial life, at times using it as an excuse not to make a repair. you are both greedy and a flake.

4) certain members of our family. lots of promises to visit that never happened. distancing of yourselves because we aren't of your religious faith. in one instance, not only distancing but a flat out refusal to step foot in our house. all i can say is thank god for the nieces and nephews. it is you who keep us hopeful and our hearts attached. too damn bad your parents are so stupid.

5) certain organizations here in town who employ certain people who are clueless as to what it means to live in poverty, what it means to have health problems, what it means to be underpaid, what it means to look for and compete for work. your lack of compassion and sympathy do a disservice to the term "social service agency". may karma visit you and see you through to your termination of employment.

6) former friends. those folks who have bailed when conflict arose or when they couldn't handle seeing the struggles of yours truly (spouse included). so sorry my life was too difficult for you to handle. we're better off without you. i only hope others see behind that smile, that laugh. it's a facade. life ain't all smiles. it's smiles and frowns. thought you would have learned that by the time you entered your 40's.

happy holidays. and for the rest of us, happy festivus. OY