The Season to be Jolly?

Christmas is supposed to be the season to be jolly. The reality is so different though; people are at their meanest at this time of the year. They are harried, hurried and hard pressed for resources (time and money) as the days get shorter and the new year approaches. Apart from rare glimpses of holiday spirit, I have only witnessed harshness and rudeness this time of the year. To paraphrase what someone said to me today, everyone is stretched thin - presents need to be bought and wrapped, greeting cards need to be personalized and posted, dinners need to be arranged and parties thrown all as the weather gets more and more extreme. Something has got to give...

Surdbird is going to be in town over the weekend - ayyp! Good thing there are some things lined up for both Friday and Saturday night but Surd is pretty low maintenent (unlike me) so it should be a good weekend regardless of who we hang out with. While I'm rambling on about random stuff, can someone please tell me why people stop communicating with other people without reason?! This has happened with most everyone I know (myself included) and has been done by most everyone I know (me included). Why do we do it time and again? Why not just let the party in question know that it might not work out or better still, there will be a prolonged silence? Are we all confrontationally challenged? Analysis paralysis - I should read my own One Liner of the Week and not think about this too much. Instead, just coast along and enjoy life as it comes my way...