Bring On The Holidays

Halloween has come and gone. I think this was the first year ever I didn't have any plans. Halloween used to be one of my favorite “holidays,” but now it seems like a bit of an inconvenience. Pumpkin carving is still cool. Pumpkin seed roasting is still fun. I really like Haunted Houses. I used to think it was fun to dedicate a day to the macabre, but it feels silly now. It's become something else. I spend a lot of time now trying to continuously be myself, so becoming a character is not high on my list. I'm sure if you have little children, it's still fun to get them all dressed up. But to me Halloween has lost it's edge. I find myself now hoping I don't get any Trick-or-Treaters. I still prepare, just in case, I don't want to be “that guy.” I do, however, find myself wanting to go out on Halloween night, just so I don't have to put up with the banging of the door. Doesn't it seem weird that 364 days of the year children should not talk to, or take candy from, strangers, but on this one day, if you dress like someone else, it's okay? I didn't used to be like this. I used to look forward to scaring the crap out of the little hooligans that came to my door. I used to look forward to the parties. But last night, we went out for a little dinner and a few drinks, and I was bothered by all the costumed buffoons. I liked it better when it was scary, not “cute.” I also think it should be the last Saturday in October. Since it's lost all of it's original meaning, what does it matter if it's on the 31^st?

Costuming during the week seems dumb. You have to hurry and rush after work. Even as a kid, I always wanted the next day off. It just seems more appropriate to have it be on a weekend. I guess maybe it could be Friday, so the kids could wear their costumes to school. But then you have the whole rushing around thing to contend with. I'm sticking with Saturday. Most adult themed parties are being held the last weekend anyway, which feels weird wearing a costume on the 26^th. I think the unofficial Halloween is already rearing it's head. Hopefully it will change, then I might get rejuvenated on the whole idea. But as for now, I know my feelings have changed. As I've stated before, I'm not sure if this is just a symptom of aging. Now I have all of this leftover candy, which will probably still be here next Halloween. It's also kind of strange because for most of my life, this “holiday” kind of marked the beginning of the Holiday Season. I'm a fan of the Holiday Season. It's starting to get cooler, people are bundling up, a little. I've always looked forward to the time off, and all of the delicious food. I've always looked forward to the time with family and friends. But this will be my first endeavor with the Holiday Season working at a retail store. Apparently when you work in a retail store, the Holiday Season means the exact opposite of what it usually means. In retail, you apparently work twice as hard with no time off, and spend the majority of your time with unpleasant strangers.

This is going to be quite the learning experience for me this year. But, I suppose this is what I'm supposed to be learning right now. Retail is interesting by itself. I certainly wouldn't want to make a career out of it, but I am glad to be having this experience. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, you can really learn a lot about yourself, and your fellow human beings, by working in retail. People seem to act the exact opposite of what I would expect. Instead of being nice, to get better service, they act rude and complain, as if I, the lowly employee, have any control over what the price is. Plus when I go to a store, I try to get in and out as quick as I can. If a sales associate can help me do that, then bring on the sales associate! Most of the time I can't find anyone willing to help. As if my desperation somehow sends out a beacon not to help me. I thought I was going to be good at customer service, because I know how I would like to be treated. Apparently, as I'm sure you're aware of by now, I am not like other people. People come into the store actually, in a way, refusing service. They would rather wander aimlessly around a pile of shoes, than to have someone who knows what they're doing help them. That doesn't make any sense to me. Who wants to spend extra time in a store? And where did any of these people get the idea that talking down to a person was helpful? Plus if I wasn't even worthy of being talked to as a peer, how is it that I could do something about the price or variety? Fun!

Daughn