However I accept that I am outnumbered and am happy enough to quietly go along with things. In a saner world than the one we inhabit, people would regard me as a fine example of tolerance. People would say "look at Jennifer, she secretly thinks this is a bit dull but she's letting us get on with the festivities instead of organising death squads to kill us all. We could all learn so much from her". As the world is not sane, people say "bah humbug". It may be they are excited at being able to quote a small fragment of classic literature or it may be they heard someone else equally irritating saying it and decided to join in. Like a parrot. A big dull parrot that can't even be bothered to grow fine plumage for us all to admire but has the effrontery to lecture other folk about jollity. That sort of parrot.
Many years ago I witnessed a particularly stunning "bah humbug". It's the sort of "bah humbug" that I think about whenever I'm being verbally abused by a spunk box for not being a Christian and laugh like a drain. That in itself is somewhat surprising because the bah humbugger on this occasion was the most humourless person I have ever had the misfortune to meet. I used to call her "No Laughs Cath" behind her back, so remarkable was her complete lack of any discernible sense of humour.
Allow me to set the scene. There are three women in an office, I am one of them, the other has just returned from work after the death of her mother from pancreatic cancer and the final but most astonishing one is the bah humbugger extraordinaire, Ol' No Laughs Cath herself.
All is peaceful in the office when the 'bah humbugger' appears in a Santa hat and a ton of tinsel, hell bent on sucking every last drop of joy from the room. She immediately demands to know what we're all doing for Christmas I mumble something about visiting my mother whilst arranging my features in to something that I hope will deter any follow up questions. The other woman says she doesn't feel much like doing anything on account of the recent, agonising death of her mother from a terrible illness.
I must confess I don't always know what to say to the recently bereaved but I'm pretty sure "bah humbug" isn't the most appropriate thing to say. In the unlikely event I did say something as catastrophically insensitive I wouldn't then smirk at my victim with a big toddler on the pot face like I was waiting on a round of applause. Reader, No Laughs did it. She dropped the big "bah humbug" on a recently bereaved orphan.
I was immediately at war with myself, a storm of conflicting emotions. The urge to shriek with laughter, fought the urge to shriek out of total shock with a twinge of rage and disbelief sneaking up on the rear. The poor, recently bereaved orphan appeared too numb to feel very much and just said "oh I know". Having secured the silence of the room No Laughs then held court about how amazing her Christmas going to be as all her family would be there. I didn't comment but it sounded like a hellish gathering of terrible tools.
Until that astonishing "bah humbug" I used to be quite hurt by that jibe. I don't imagine anyone enjoys being likened to the repellent, mean spirited and stingy character of Scrooge and on that score I am no different but I realise that was because I hadn't thought it through. For a start it's highly unlikely the "bah humbuggers" have actually read 'A Christmas Carol' and have just latched on to a cliche large enough to match their out sized acrylic BHS jumpers because they are actually too stupid to say anything else. I should be feeding them Trill and calling them Cheeky Boy, rather than paying any mind to their ridiculous banter.
It is also worth noting that when one observes their behaviour throughout the year they're quite Scrooge like themselves. The person who sits next to you at work and says "at they end of the day, they weans were put on the boat by their parents" is a "Bah Humbugger" and no mistake. The twit in popcorn knit who says "at the end of the day, charity begins at home" is a whopping great "Bah Humbugger" The fat one with strange ankle swellings who says "at the end of the day, this is a Christian country and they should fit in with our ways" is not only a throbbing bell end but a "Bah Humbugger". What I'm trying to say here is that I can use graphs to show that I'm essentially harmless.Yet stupid, angry zoo animals in slacks without the grace to be cute, torment innocent bystanders everyday, unmolested by the jollity police.
Let us imagine we lived in a better world. Let's imagine that when you said you couldn't be arsed dancing at the minute people said "hurrah, mind our drinks while we do The Slosh" and one could sit on their arse, giving the odd wee wave. Let's imagine some spunkbracket brings out the karaoke gear and instead of demanding others join in, they just invite folk to join in only if it would make them happy or a bit pleased. You'll think I'm BONKERS but let's imagine a world in which everyone simply minded their own business and did their own thing.
Failing that, just know that when you harass me to JOIN IN WITH YOUR FORCED JOLLITY I am calling you a weaselflange and a rabbitspoon in my mind. Also know that I'm rather enjoying myself staring in to the stars until the moment you ruin my life, my evening, my hour by cranking out out a great big "bah humbug" in my face. If your reindeer games fail to bring all the boys to the yard, either you are the boys are in the wrong and that is hardly my fault. Let me smirk quietly from the banquettes.
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