Grinch-o-meter

How extreme has your Grinch-o-meter been this year? I hit my peak whilst out shopping during our power outage last week ... 

Not only were Xmas jingles being played to death, over and over again, but ... some people were singing along to them, actually enjoying them, making no secret of the fact that they didn't mind (or loved) hearing the same carols on repeat. How dare they??

I had tried to drive to the store and an X-ray appointment the previous day, during a major windstorm, but had to turn back 3 times for road closures due to wires and trees down all over the place. After an hour on the road, I was nowhere near my destination, and the sensation of pine cones and twigs hurtling loudly against the windshield whilst trying to negotiate pine cone- and branch- riddled 'roads' made me return to my dark, cut-off-from-the-world, home without having achieved my purpose. I watched other drivers continue driving under trees suspended by wires across the road, or doing some off-roading around obstructions, only to encounter broken wires on the other side - thank goodness, without repercussions. It was quite a hair-raising adventure and I was glad to be back in my powerless home!

The next day, all was calm, so I revisited my previous day's goals, and got to my destination without incident - there was free Wi-fi and electricity, so I indulged and spent a lot of time 'shopping' and browsing. It was better than that feeling of sitting at home ... waiting, hoping, expectant. But I guess it meant I spent more than my usual share of time out in the real world, and the customers cheerily singing along to the looping, cheerful songs hit a nerve. (I don't mind hearing carols, but not commercially for a whole month on repeat. In my upbringing, it was reserved for the season of advent, where these special songs were sung in church, not piped through every grocery store or consumer-location). It was almost too much for my straining reserve, especially for someone who'd quietly been enduring a power outage without complaint.

I'm happy to report that for once, I managed to keep my Grinch quiet whilst out in public, but saved it for a blog post instead!