OK. Merry Christmas, But... Let's Be Real

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Merry Christmas, everyone! But let me start with a confession: I don’t like everyone.

How can anyone genuinely like everyone they meet or everything they see? Seriously, have you met people?

We all have that one overly enthusiastic friend who’s practically a walking Instagram filter, always saying things like, “I love everything!” or “We’re so lucky to be alive and enjoy this fantastic world!”

Are we, though?

If you’re one of those people, I’m sorry (not really), but you’re exhausting. I get it—live and let live, right? But your unrelenting positivity adds an extra layer of irritation to my already simmering frustrations. It’s like pouring glitter on a bad day—it doesn’t help; it just makes things worse.

Here’s the thing: we live in a world with actual problems. Climate change is a looming nightmare. Politics worldwide feels like we are watching a bad reality TV show, and either if —thankfully—Arsenal is starting to feel like Arsenal* again, isn’t a good place the world right now.

*Yes, for the first time in years, under Mikel Arteta, we’re witnessing the kind of football that reminds me of the glory days under Arsène Wenger. It’s like coming home to something you thought you’d lost forever. And that’s something worth smiling about, even for a grump like me.

So, as we step into this holiday season, I have a request: let’s be realistic. Cheerful is fine, but can we tone it down a notch? Life isn’t always a Hallmark movie.

Next year, tough stuff will happen—someone we care about might get hurt, someone questionable will be to office (again), and who knows, maybe your favorite band won’t even release new music. But that’s life. It’s messy, frustrating, and occasionally, beautifully imperfect.

I’ll be spending this Christmas in Sardinia with my parents after twenty-five years of being unable to make it home. That alone is a reason to celebrate, but even then, I know the world won’t magically fix itself over my Christmas pudding. Or Panettone, better.

So, enjoy the season, spread some love, and please—let’s keep it authentic. Save the over-the-top enthusiasm for TikTok or wherever it is people go to be “unbearably positive” these days.

Thanks for understanding. And hey—Merry Christmas to almost everyone!