Christmas Trees Irritate Me (And So Can You!)
So it’s fairly clear to me, judging from what I saw on Interstate 80 today, that EVERYONE decided to get their live Christmas tree today (or a box with an artificial one in it). And for some reason, having an evergreen tree on the roof of your car gives you the power to drive erratically and without consideration to ANY CAR in front, behind or to the side.
Take, for instance, what happened to me on the road today. First, a driver in a blue Ford Mustang cut across three lanes of traffic to enter in the fast lane, right in front of me. Okay, irritating, but he could’ve been speeding to the hospital to see his wife give birth or something. So I put that one in the back of my mind.
Then, as I approach Dixon, a red car that looked like it was fresh from the 1980s whizzed out of my blind spot and snuck in between my car and the one behind me. Now, I have a rule: If the headlights of your car cannot be seen by my rear-view mirror, you are TOO DAMN CLOSE. Case in point. This lady could’ve seen the dirt on my license plate without squinting—that’s how close she was.
Why is it the holidays, being the supposed “cheeriest time of the year,” drive me crazy? In their attempt to be unselfish for just three weeks of the last month in the year, people wind up being the MOST selfish. I think it’s an ego thing, but whatever. This kind of crap is exactly why I don’t get into Christmas until a week before it’s over.
Another thing? Shopping malls. If you found a Zone Little Christmas Show flier on your car today at the Roseville Galleria, I’m to blame. A parking lot FULL of people spending money—it was the perfect spot to whore out our concert (tickets are going fast, by the way).
But back to my rant: Nobody had a smile on their face. Everyone seemed to be rushed. And the true victims of the holiday season? The kids who get pushed through store after store at the mall. Sure, they may get to see Santa, but for the most part they’re bored the crap out of their minds being shuffled from Macy’s to American Eagle to Barnes & Noble. Parents, please take my advice—your kids do NOT want to browse linens and things at Linens & Things. They do not want to sit still in the cart while you browse the “Beyond” section at Bed, Bath & Beyond. And to a kid, JC Penneys is a BORING place (unless you let them play hide and seek in the clothes racks or sample the perfumes at the cosmetics counter). Don’t take your kids shopping with you; leave them at a friends house on a playdate or something.
One last thing that irritates me: Perez Hilton. But that’s a rant for another time.
I'm a 21-year-old technology, music and local media blogger from Sacramento, California.