Yesterday when I went to get coffee I noticed that there were some new mugs in the cupboard. They had some very high-quality artistic renderings of Star Wars characters on them, and despite a troubling absence of droids on said drinkware I was compelled to inquire where these mugs had come from.
"Secret Santa!" my mom happily replied, getting up from the couch with emphasis to tell me the story. I think she had been waiting for someone to ask.
She started off by saying "You remember that Raiders thing?" in reference to a plastic candy dispenser emblazoned with an Oakland Raiders logo that I nearly smashed upon sight when I came in the house and saw it on the cat-stairs the other night. (We call the architecture island that supports our staircase the cat-stairs because its shaped like huge stairs and the cats climb them.)
"That's for my coworker!" Mom had said in reply to my obvious disgust. That seemed like a very odd, insufficient reply to my disdain - this is a Chargers household after all - but I said fuckit. I'm not gonna get into a fight with my mom about football.
With this mug revelation in focus, she recounted that the reason for such treason was that the person she got in her job's secret santa draw was some kid younger than my youngest brother who works in the back unloading trucks and then loading other trucks and all she all really knows about him is that he likes The Raiders. They talked one time during break and he was nice and reminded her of Troy. Just, you know, a Raiders fan.
She said that after she gave the candy dispenser thing to him, another girl they both work with told her "that was a great gift. you made his day." etc as she was leaving her shift.
Earlier in the week, mom said, her manager - 'the one I like' - came up to her and casually asked, "So, do you know who your secret santa is?" Mom said she didn't, that she didn't like to participate in the store gossip, but that she did hope that she didn't get somebody crummy. They both had a nice chuckle at that one.
The manager lady continued on, "Yeah, the person I got, they mentioned something the other day and I don't even think they know they mentioned it, but it really helped me figure out my gift for them."
It should have been obvious to my mom at this point but it wasn't because she is as wondrously oblivious as I am, but that nice lady manager turned out to be her secret santa. The reason she chose the Star Wars mugs was because she had overheard my mom talking to a customer about how R2D2 is the real hero of the saga.
My robotic grinch heart grew tenfold upon hearing that last part.
I've been a humbug bastard about pretty much every aspect of "Christmas" since I was young, and that was amplified severely when I worked at TJ Maxx during the holidays a few years ago. The music...I hate Christmas music more than pretty much anything else. I don't like the forced cheer and merriment that's associated with this time of year, it makes me more depressed than I already am, and I work at an hourly job that doesn't do holiday pay so frankly I don't appreciate the missed hours either.
I do, however, enjoy the family dinner we have. I am fortunate enough to have really strong and positive relationships with my family members, but each one of us is kind-of reclusive/self-contained/not-to-be-bothered. Maybe we need this holiday bullshit to give us all a reason to come out of our shells and laugh together and talk about what's been up since we are all sooooo busy and don't have time for each other unless society kinda forces the interaction.
It's like Football Sunday.
For us, this holiday isn't about religion or anything like that; I guess we're an example of the kind of people who are such dangers to the future of Christmas. We see these few days off as a chance to be together and to show people in our life that we appreciate them for who they are. It doesn't matter if you're a Chargers fan or a Raiders fan; this is about Good Will towards mankind.
Happy Holidays Everybody.
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