Its interesting to see the reaction to my last two ezines, where I have (with tongue firmly in cheek) complained about the falsity and excess of the Christmas season.
Some have seen the irony and thanked me for the humour.
Others have written quite stern feedback, suggesting that I “get a life” and cheer up.
Irony is such a difficult genre with which to “hit the spot” – but then professional comedians will remind me that that you cannot appeal to 100% of your audience.
Part of this pre-season grumpiness is, I suppose, fuelled by the fact that I’ve stayed in numerous hotels in recent months and can’t take any more piped music and neglected Christmas trees.
Last night I was chatting to a lady who runs her own accountancy business, performing internal audits for hotels.
She had been working 5 days a week at the hotel we were staying in – since September! Commuting from Leeds to Winchester on Sunday afternoon and returning home on Friday. We shared a few minutes conversation, bemoaning the “road warrior” lifestyle. Its bad enough all year, but with Christmas melodies playing in the background, the sense of “lost in translation” is heightened.
The great news is that last night was my “last night” in a hotel this year – “hallelujah” is probably the appropriate exclamation!
I can soon focus on spending the holiday with those I love – and perhaps get that “spirit” back.