Saying "Bah, humbug!" at Christmastime in old-time Phoenix



You really don't hear people say, "Bah, humbug" at Christmastime anymore. And I'd imagine that even though the expression would have still been a common one in old-time Phoenix (humbug means deceptive or false talk or behavior) since Charles Dickens' book "A Christmas Carol" was such a big best-seller, and is still very popular to this day, his character of Scrooge would have discouraged people from saying it. No one really wants to be called a "Scrooge". It wouldn't of course, keep people from being crabby around Christmastime, which is still true.

Even though it's a very popular book, and has been made into plays, and movies (my personal favorite is the Mister Magoo cartoon version), many people really don't understand that it was never about spending a lot of money on expensive presents at Christmas, it was simply about being grateful, and lightening up a bit.

OK, OK, calm down if you'r ready to go off on a rant, I've seen it all of my life, and I'm sure it's nothing new. I myself am a relentlessly cheerful person, who likes Christmastime, likes the holiday season, and it's just generally a good time for me, especially since I grew up in Minneapolis, where it's snowy and coldy.

Anyway, Christmastime really is a time of a lot of humbug. That is, deceptive stuff - all you have to do is check your email to see the number of scams, which definitely goes up during the holidays. It's enough to make anyone say, "Bah, humbug!" And while they didn't have the internet in old-time Phoenix, there would have been a lot of humbug, there always have been bad guys. That's just the way it is. I've never met anyone who considers themselves a bad guy, just people who are doing what they think is necessary. I like to think of them as the "finders keepers, losers weepers" type who just kept taking if farther and farther. I really don't know why people cheat, lie and steal, but they do. And these people are out in force around the holidays.

But I refuse to let these people ruin my Christmastime, and I'd like to believe that I would have had the same attitude if I'd lived 100 years ago.

God bless us, everyone!
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