So true. And if you don't act like a child on crack, you somehow feel like a failure.

What gets me is this present-buying, though. It drives me nuts-- if someone sees something they think I would like throughout the year, they just buy it for me. Because they feel obliged at Christmas, they end up buying me any old tat that I don't want or need.

And I hate giving meaningless gifts, so I hunt high and low for something special, only to end up with something hundreds of other people have whipped off the shelves.

I can't stand the emptiness of this time of year-- I think it's why so many people sink into depression in January; the Christmas period has made them believe in peace and flashing lights and gluttony-- none of that can be sustained.