Grandma got run over by a reindeer - in Greece?

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Now I really hate how commercialized Christmas has become - all the crowds, all the craziness, all the bad Christmas music. So this year, I traveled halfway around the world in the hopes of avoiding most, if not all, of it. There I was, walking in a market area in Greece. Almost no one else was shopping – pure bliss. Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear but Santa dressed all in camo gear. Uhm, what?! And just don't ask what the elves were wearing. Okay, it was a one-off fluke. I can handle this, but then a few steps later, I hear what is clearly the voice of Elvis Presley belting out “Blue Christmas”. Turning a corner to get away from the noise, I hear “Grandma got run over by a reindeer...” No, no, no. Not here, among all of these lovely handmade items on this cobble stoned street in the shadow of ancient ruins. Ugh – Americans have invaded this space and not in a good way. During the remainder of my stay, I discovered more often than not in every store, coffeeshop, restaurant, and market, American Christmas music was being played. Why I have no idea since there were hardly any tourists in the area and the locals grasp of the English language wasn't the greatest. Fine – as the old saying goes – you can't run away from your problems, you just take them with you. Yes, I know, I'm exaggerating a bit here. Bad Christmas music and hideous Santa Clauses aren’t exactly world ending dilemmas. But I went to another country to see their Christmas traditions, not mine. But at least the people there were friendly, no one was fighting over the latest toy or the last ham in Walmart. Nope, here everyone was relaxed, happy and willing to spend a moment or 10 talking about anything and everything. Today as you spend time with friends, family or whomever – stop, reflect, and realize this moment is only here now. Enjoy it while you can…

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  1. Good BooksDecember 28, 2019 at 10:27 PM

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