Another December and thus another year draws to a close. Another yuletide season brimming with civilians suffering from boiled blood pressure and a burning hole seeping through many a wallet. Oh yes. Christmas is finally over. I am the last individual who would begrudge the holidays but in a time where the economy is sliding quicker than Anne Doyle's boobs, Christmas is the last thing we need.

As a retail employee I have experienced the panic and stress that others take upon themselves in order to provide their loved ones with the perfect gift. At first it's 'only something small, they get loads from everyone' but then again it is Christmas so what's the harm in throwing in a few 'small' extras and a 'wee' few bob. Before they know it, the doomed customer is single-handedly accosting their own tiny wallet with a bill worth a 'small' fortune. And so begins the pressure and hatred of every song that harkens from the depths of a car radio, pounding the sound of Mariah Carey's tonsils to Ballsbridge and back. My question to all of these shoppers is...why?

I (am about to play the poor student card so beware) must in the forthcoming months, save every penny to go to college abroad and live in the grounds of said college. I had no money (nor patience, truth be known) for this Christmas shopping lark. So, like a poor church mouse who has been handed a hefty church bill on the very day his wife ran off with another mouse and stole all the cheese, I resorted to scrooging my way out of Christmas. Working in a bookshop does do untold joy for the soul of someone who is attempting to better the lives of others (I bought books dead cheap and gave them to my family) and I refrained from burning aforementioned hole in aforementioned poor church mouses pocket.

I would like to close with a final warning. Christmas is a time for everyone. Do not re-mortgage your home merely to give someone a gift they may not even use. Make them something. Or better yet...kill them all!!!!