The Grinchess of Los Angeles Airport: Merry Christmas

These are the holidays. Christmas is supposed to be a time of good cheer and good will toward all men and women. However, I think some folks didn't get the memo. My wife and I were coming back from Michigan last week when I witnessed a horrible crime against the holiday spirit. We were near the luggage carousels when I saw a young lady in her twenties exhibit a Grinch like growl at three elderly women. The Grinchess yelled at the ladies to move and scolded them because they were in her way. She also told them that they were not allowed to block her path as if it were a law. The three elderly ladies were in her path, but they were not purposefully trying to impede this spoiled, bratty, entitled sickened Scrooge in any way. The older ladies simply apologized in a surprisingly kind manner and did their best to accommodate the twenty-something girl who not surprisingly is on Santa's naughty list. The girl just sighed and rolled her eyes while she impatiently waited for the older ladies to make a path for her. I could not help myself so I told her that she didn't have to be rude about it. She ignored me because in her view I am merely a peasant in her world of self-centeredness.

The bad news is there are many Grinch's out there who care only for themselves. Sometimes those people are the people we see in our mirrors. We can all be a Scrooge at times. We can all get too self-focused, but we have to remember that the Christmas season is not about us. It is way bigger than us. If we ever find ourselves being upset that we didn't get the present we wanted or we get annoyed by the elderly person who walks a bit too slow, we must remember to give others the slack we want for ourselves.

The other day at Disneyland I waited in line 40 minutes to order my food. I placed my order and waited. And waited some more. Turns out the kitchen had run out of chili. On a cool night chili was a hot order. The poor lady at the counter had no control over that, but the angry mob didn't care. They wanted to blame someone, so they chose her to snap at and yell at. One guy was especially unChristmasy. I told him it wasn't the poor ladies fault. I then asserted to him that I had been waiting longer than him for my food, but I wasn't blaming the poor lady for not getting it. He told me that he had been in line longer, but I corrected him. I repeated his order verbatim and then reminded him he had changed his request from marinara to ranch. The man backed off. This man was not acting in the spirit of Christmas, because he was only focused on himself.

The good news is that there are others who do show the Christmas spirit. The three elderly ladies in the airport and the kind woman behind the counter were gracious and kind even when others were not. They gave respect, kindness, and good will. This tradition of giving goes back to the beginning of Christmas when the wise men brought gifts to the baby in the manger. This Christmas try giving more than getting. If you can, give a little extra to the Salvation Army buckets in front of your favorite stores. You can also give a lot without spending money. Give patience to the people at the airport counters or the waiter who is working hard. Sometimes these gifts are far better than other gifts that cost money anyhow.

Merry Christmas,
Jayceoneal.com

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