Top 10: Holiday Hate List

I thought since the holidays are nearly over, I would create this Top 10 list of things I hate about the holidays.

10. Black Friday - The day after Thanksgiving is considered the biggest and busiest shopping day of the year. It is the one time of year where retailers start making a profit, or move from the red to the black; hence the term Black Friday. It's also the day where retailers battle each other to get customers in their store. To do that, they drop prices on the hottest gifts of the season. This creates such frenzy that people line up outside in rain, sleet or snow to get a hold of these "doorbusters". I love the price drops, but hate the mania, which is why it is number 10 on this list.

09. Crowded Stores - You can count on crowded stores during the holidays. It doesn't matter what time of day or night, the stores will always be crowded with people making their lists and checking it twice. It all makes me feel naughty and not very nice, which is why it's number nine on this list.

08. Commercialism - We live in a culture of commercialism especially during the holidays, but when companies release products specifically to cash in on the holiday hoopla, I have a problem. Every company does it and they practically need to, but it all leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

07. Credit Card Bills - After all the shopping is done and the euphoria of the holidays is over, the bill comes. It's usually the nastiest bill of the year and in the end you have nothing to show for all the money you spent. Naturally, you remember all the joy you brought to your friends and family, but it still sucks.

06. Finding Gifts for People - There is nothing worse than searching for that perfect gift for the difficult to shop for person. This is usually the person who refuses to make a list or gives you that lame, "surprise me" line. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you surprise them with, they will return or exchange it for something they really want. If they only told you what that was in the first place, it would save everyone a lot of time and effort.

05. Traditions - Recreating the same old holiday year after year for the sake of tradition. When you hide behind tradition, new memories are never made and each year begins to run into the next with no distinction of events. The holiday can become monotonous and predictable. That is not to say that traditions aren't important, they are, but you shouldn't feel the need to recreate an event because you did it the year before.

04. Holiday TV Specials Starring Musicians - We expect holiday movies, holiday commercials and holiday specials, but when musicians have their own holiday specials things get dicey. We've seen Clay Aiken, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey and now we are subjected to Rod Stewart crooning old Christmas "favorites". A take on the musical variety show is a pathetic attempt to resurrect a long-gone career.

03. Santa Hats in Public - People who wear Santa hats in public really annoy me. I often wonder if they immediately put those lame hats on at the stroke of midnight on the day after Thanksgiving. They walk around feeling all festive and clever when in fact they're not. What annoys me more is when the entire family partakes in the tradition. Naturally this annoyance doesn't apply to my family, because nobody in my family annoys me.

02. Holiday Decorations in January - I hate almost nothing more than seeing holiday decorations in January. It's the start of the new year, a fresh start filled with new possibilities, yet I'm still constantly reminded about the year before. January first is the date in which all holiday decorations should be down both inside and out and Christmas music put away. This could be the fact that I've been living the "holiday dream" since late October, which brings me to number one.

01. Holiday Decorations before Thanksgiving - Retailers try to coax people into beginning their holiday shopping early by putting up their decorations in October, nearly two months before Christmas. This is disgusting and I hate it, because by the time Christmas rolls around, I'm already sick and tired of having the holiday shoved down my throat every time I step outside.

That's it. That is my Top 10 reasons why I hate the holidays. While there are only ten things on this list, I could think of more. I also could think of many more reasons why I love the holidays, but I'm a squeaky wheel and that's why I created this hate list.