Dear Montana, Can We Please Cancel Christmas This Year?
Overspending, over-traveling, over-eating, and over-stressing. Can we just cancel the Christmas holiday already?
Before we get into it, of course, I must preface. This in no way is directed at the religious background and meaning of Christmas. This is consumer and health based.
I hate Christmas, and so do a lot of you. It's an extremely stressful time of year, added to an already overstressed average Montanans plate.
Let's start with the financial aspect. Did you know that the average person will spend around $932 on Christmas gifts? Do you have an extra grand just laying around? No, of course not. Wouldn't that be a nice buffer for your mortgage, groceries, car payment, medical bills, insurance, etc? I can go on and on.
Well, now that you've maxed out your credit card you're going to have to deliver these gifts. Traveling on Montana roads in the winter can be very dangerous. Have you ever been over Rodgers' pass when it's iced over? It's a nightmare. That pass alone holds the record for the biggest temperature change in a 24-hour period in the U.S. What about the distances you'll have to travel to get to Grandma's house? Towns in Montana aren't exactly close. The most secluded town in the lower 48 is in Montana for crying out loud. Staying at home and binging Netflix is sounding pretty good right about now, isn't it?
If you get lucky enough to not have to drive, and you are the party host, well you're not off the hook. Cooking food and preparing it for all your visitors isn't exactly fun. Plus you can add that huge grocery bill to your already overstretched Holiday budget. Hopefully, you had some luck this hunting season to alleviate some of that spending.
What about the mental health aspect? Montana already has the most depressed city in America. The holiday season is notorious for increased depression. It's not all candy canes and presents for everyone. I think canceling it, even for just one year in Montana, could really help a lot of people's mental health.
Just my two cents.