Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

Like most Grinchy people, my hatred for Christmas came from a love for it. I used to love the merry ambiance in the air, the gay, exotic decorations, the gifts and the parties, but now it has all gone wrong, with forced merry socializing, jammed traffic, and crowded restaurants and malls. Although I hate to be full of hatred at this time of year, I have my reasons.

I don't feel a cultural connection. Although Christmas has been ruined by its commercialization, for foreigners, there still are the sweet memories of the holiday they can hang on to. But what's in it for the Chinese? It's really weird and creepy that the Chinese seem to be fine with dining with little fake trees in the background, and chanting Chinese versions of songs about an old bearded white guy, who's said to be going down your chimney, even though nobody has a chimney these days.

My families and most Chinese friends don't celebrate it, so what's the point?

It seems like a holiday, and everybody wishes each other a merry Christmas.

But you don't get a day off work in China, so technically, it's not a holiday.

I feel like I'm being robbed by an elaborate scheme, because of all the holiday sales going on.

It's not snowing. And don't get me started on the fake snow.

Can anybody tell me in what way this "best time of year," with all the coldness, fog, long nights and thick and boring winter wear, is better than a breezy summer or autumn day? 

Not that we are losers, but some of us just happen to break up before the holiday season and be all alone for Christmas.

Every TV series I am following has made a Christmas special. While some are funny and brilliant, the rest are just ground out by uncreative writers with their stereotyped jokes and stock festive elements.

And sentimental holiday movies or innocent 3D cartons? Not a fan. I'd prefer more awesome science fiction movies or violent kung fu films.

The music sucks! The carols have taken over the whole month of December and most of November. We are forced to listen to the same old tunes over and over again. I don't know about you, but there's a limit of how much I can listen to the boring songs played in malls, as well as in every hair salon, supermarket, gadget store and restaurant. They get stuck in your head, and make your sleepless nights even more horrible.

When you finish your long, tiring day of work and drag your body home, there's almost nobody on the street in this cold winter night, and you go by a hair salon which is still playing "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at 9 pm. It seems like the end of the world, instead of the end of a day, and Christmas carols are the only things that have survived the doomsday.

Christmas has already gone wrong in the West, shifting from celebrating family values and a feeling of magic, to commercialization and insincerity. It's only more twisted here in China. It's just too overwhelming, too long, too merry, too much, too fake and too commercialized.

Last but not least, one thing that I hate about Christmas is that there are always people, like myself, complaining about it. It feels like you are having a delicious piece of cake, but your friend says "Yuck, it's terrible" and you lose all your appetite. Well, don't let my ramblings spoil your holiday mood.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.