an example of a good post...

Lisette-

I feel your yuletide pain. As a top member of the Filene's sales force
one Happy Holiday I was treated to an avalanche of seasonal music
including and most especially seasonal music with an upbeat rock n' roll
"open you wallet" kind of sound. If you haven't heard Michael
McDonald's "On Christmas Morning", get on the trolley and do it-it's
breathtaking.

Resistance to the music is an exercise in futility. Even though I
possess inner meditative powers that would make an octogenarian Buddhist
jealous, I still could not convince myself that the music wasn't playing
or not bothering me. What followed was a downward spiral of
frustration, anger and despair culminating in an embarrassing tirade in
which I overturned the sales racks and repeatedly banged shoes against
myself, co-workers and display tables (in the business we call that a
pulling a Krushchev). The jingle jangle harmonies permeated my core.
They were all I could think about. My customer service suffered. Sales
fell like defective arches.

In the end, they found me in the stock room frantically opening new
boxes deeply inhaling the chemically dye smell trying
to...what...something...to feel something different...anything. As I
lay there on a heap of opened shoe boxes my nostrils burning and silica
gel stuffed in my ears to try and block out the sound, I knew I had hit
bottom.

In my stupor I hallucinated that Santa came down a chimney that
magically appeared in front of me only, even in my impaired state, I
could see that something was off about ole Father Christmas. His feet
were enormous and he was wearing Johnston and Murphy dress shoes (Acadia
style, comes in Black, Tan or Cordovan, sizes 8-13, widths D, E, EE,
stock # 267707). And then I realized I knew that face, salt and pepper
beard, feathered grey hair, it was Michael McDonald!

Without a word he picked me up, dusted me off, held me close and sang to
me:

Old december's here at last
Time for celebration
Christmas present, christmas past
Tumble down together like
The snow
What a show

Now the snowman someone made
Is melting by the road side
On the wind a serenade
Children's voices singing I believe
I believe in us
I believe

He disappeared. I felt renewed and calm and I knew, in my heart,
Michael McDonald was right.

You gotta cherish the season, Lisette. Let down your defenses and let
the music wash over you. Buy into it. It's gone in an instant. Live
every day this Holiday like the store is about to close in 5 minutes and
you're bringing your final purchases to the nearest register.

And if you open a new charge card, I can guarantee you'll immediately
feel 10 percent better.

-From Frank to Lisette upon the news of her disenchantment with Christmas