As tends to happen every year, the last seven weeks or so tend to be a whirlwind of activity and emotions. It seems that my life goes on hold from about the middle of November until the middle of January. But, as with every year, I made it through the end of the year season relatively unscathed, and now I can look forward to ten months of peace and quiet.

For me, at least, the realization that the end of the year is fast approaching hits about sometime in the middle of November. From that point on, I switch from the "cold calculated reason" mode of operation to the "survive at all costs" mode. You know what I mean-- you take things one moment at a time. You are like an antelope on the savanna -- you are constantly searching the landscape for predators.

I know that when the holidays approach, my mood starts to sour. I am not filled with joy, but with irritation. You know, like the irritation when you run into a person who has completely ignored you for the past ten and one half months who is now your best friend. You know, it is "the season", so we must all be saccharine sweet. Of course, once "the season" is over, we all go back to being the aloof and rude jerks that we normally are. ("The Season" is over; back to normal!)

I don’t mind if people don’t want to be my friend. Fine with me. I figure that that is your loss. But if you don’t want to be my friend, don’t be my friend 24/7/365. Be consistent! Don’t suddenly be nice because you feel obligated to. I can deal with consistency; I can’t deal with waffling. Either you do or you don’t.

On top of all that, throw in the braggarts who only want to talk to you once a year to tell you how great they are. This seems to be an expanding trend. I received several "Christmas" cards this year that were nothing more than a thinly veiled brag-fest. "We went here; we went there. We did this; we did that. We are sooo great. We are soooo glad that we are us and not you, you pathetic losers! Wouldn’t you just salivate at the opportunity to be us?"

Now I don’t want it to be interpreted that all folks who send a little letter a Christmas are trying to shove it in your face how great they are. I did receive a few letters from people I have not seen in years who were sincerely trying to let me know about what was happening in their lives. However, for every sincere one, there are five who are braggarts.

But isn’t that what "the Season" is all about? We don’t value presents based on the heart of the person who is giving it, but rather on its size and monetary value. "I got this and this and this for Christmas!" "I went here and here and here and here for Christmas." And we love to gloat and brag over what we did or got, and shove it in the face of others. Last year, a female coworker decided to e-mail her coworkers her Christmas itinerary, detailing her trip to the Bahamas, in case anybody needed her. This particular e-mail was a gloat fest on three levels-- first, she wanted to emphasize to the mere mortals how important she was ("in case you need to reach me"); second, she was allowed to take a lot more vacation then her tenure allowed, but since she would be checking in at an office, it was "business related"; third, she was going to an exotic location that I could not afford. Yes, my own mere mortality and worthlessness was shoved into my face not once, not twice, but thrice! Of course, when she returned, her holiday was the talk of the office. For the rest of us mere mortals, who cares!

This season, the braggadocio was raised to a new level. Now, not only do we shove our wealth in other peoples’ faces, we also shove our patriotism as well. I can’t begin to count the number of evil stares I have received this "Season" because I do not wear patriotic garb or bedeck my car with a gazillion flags. I’m not only poor, I’m also a Commie, too! Of course it doesn’t matter that I flew Old Glory 24/7/365 for four years; I don’t have one on my car, I don’t have any "patriotic" clothes, and thus I am not a patriot. And since I don’t pretend to be nice to people that I personally detest because its "the Season", I am not a Christian, either. Fine!

Now that "The Season" is over, let’s get back to normal. You don’t like me, I don’t like you. You don’t want to associate with a loser like me, and you will go back to your old ways of putting me down and acting like a total jerk. That’s fine. Me? Why I will continue to toil as the failure that you think I am, the miserable louse who is okay to know clandestinely on the sly but who you would never acknowledge as a friend. Until the next "Season", that is.

At least I will have some peace until then. I can take a deep breath, lower the predator antennae, and resume doing things in my normal cold, calculating, logical, and plodding way, knowing that things will be as logically expected and that I will not encounter some surprise (RE: niceness) that will result in my carcass being picked clean and my skeletal remains being left behind in some heap with the skeletal remains of others who let their guard down and were consumed by the predators and vultures who prey upon to innocent and naive every "Season".