Who Put the X in Xmas?

As the holidays approach I only have one thing to say, bah humbug! Seeing folks put up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving really irritates me. It seems like the last few Christmases have been filled with more dread than excitement. I tried to get excited about it last year. Despite putting up the tree and other decorations, cooking a nice meal to spend with my small family, and opening the few gifts we managed to get for each other, it still felt forced. Maybe it's because I am getting older and Christmas doesn't hold the wonder and excitement it did while I was a kid. I suspect this is my last year to allow myself to feel this way. Next year I will have a small child of my own to buy gifts for and to get excited about. I hope I will feel differently by then. I think it's just the idea of Christmas, in all it's retail glory, that puts me off. Not being a religious person probably doesn't help matters either. Perhaps next year I'll feel more ho, ho, ho, than oh no.