Tag Archives: Holidays

Blog: Big December Energy – 12/04/19

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It’s probably the lowest hanging fruit of a joke to complain about the deluge of holiday shopping ads that blanket everything in December, but it’s still worth discussing.  Not because I’m trying to build you some “Holiday Gift Guide” or whatever, but because I know how stressful this stuff can be, especially when you’re pinching pennies.

This stuff can wreak havoc on your psyche, at least, it gets to me a lot.  Seeing what the world or more accurately, what marketers expect people in my demographic able to afford can take a lot out of you.

We see the same stupid car commercials, where  family surprises their dad or something with a new car that has an oversized bow on it.  It’s so dumb and idiotic, but I can’t help but look at that stuff and think, “is that where I’m supposed to be?”  I know it’s an unrealistic standard to hold myself to, it’s part of the constant anxiety people in my generation feel.

And it’s all compounded when you see people on social media posting their best moments of their vacations and how great their lives are.  I know that’s just a slice of their lives, but it still makes me feel inadequate and like I’m not doing enough.  But that’s another issue entirely.

Just like last year when I wrote something similar, I want to remind everyone of how easy it is to spiral out of control in this holiday season.  I’ve overextended myself before in an effort to give the best gifts possible while putting on my best laissez faire appearance I could muster, and I’m quite literally still paying for that today.

The holidays are meant to be a time of coming together and appreciating one another.  You can read a million other articles about how capitalism has destroyed the holidays and it’s all about stuff, and while that isn’t untrue, it isn’t the crux of what I’m saying.

If you take away anything from this, I hope it’s the idea that you don’t have to bury yourself in debt or feel bad because you’re not buying everyone a Nintendo Switch.  Appreciate what you have and the people you can share it with.  I know that’s easier said than done, but consider your own mental health this December.  Hell, consider it all the time.  Because at the end of the day, if you’re not doing right by you, then what’s the point of any of this?

Happy Holidays everyone, and thanks for sticking with The Bonus World.

 

Blog: A Serious Note About the Holidays – 12/05/18

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We’ve entered the final stretch of 2018, and while the world continues to be a nightmare-zone, the games were pretty good.  I haven’t finalized the Game of the Year plans yet, but I imagine it’ll be something similar to what I did last year.  But that isn’t the point of this blog.  Instead, I’d like to speak a little more seriously.

The holidays are an incredibly stressful time of year for me, and I imagine it’s like that for a lot of people.  You might find yourself overwhelmed or frustrated a lot in December and believe me, I get it.  In my case, I hate gift giving.  I’m absolutely terrible at figuring out what people want, and even worse at trying to find gifts in my price range.  And that might be small potatoes compared to what other people have going on, but it still manages to stress me out.

Whatever your reasons might be, I want to just encourage people to take some time to focus on themselves.  The holidays are all about selflessness and togetherness, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of your sanity and personal wellbeing.

I bring this up because I’m already feeling the weight of the holidays bearing down on me.  It’s a little different this time around, but it’s still there.  This is the first year since I’ve been a teenager that I haven’t had to work during the holidays.  Retail kind of conditioned me to dread this time of year, and it’s hard to shake that.  Even over Thanksgiving I felt this lingering pressure as if I was about to be fired for not showing up on Black Friday.

I know this might not be an issue for everyone, or maybe some of you are in situations where you can’t really afford to sit back and take a moment, but at the very least try and catch your breath.  I feel like my life is moving so fast and I rarely take a moment to enjoy it.  So that’s what I’m trying to do right now, and savor the moment, and relax a little bit.

I know this whole post is a little more introspective and serious than I normally shoot for with the blogs, but this feeling weighs on me every year and I felt like sharing that.  It’ll be back to jokes and goofs next week, but for now I’d like to say thank you for reading, and I hope your holidays treat you and yours well.