December 2, 1997 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Cadre 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     unMitlIGa@TeD 
     
     A. daclt¥ 
     
    
   
   
    
     If You’re Happy and You Know It, 
     
     SHUT YOUR FACE! A little anti- 
     
     Christmas cheer... 
     
    
   
   
    
     Well, the snow’s piling up, the exams are near; I guess it’s almost Christmas, then. 
     
     Is there anybody else besides me who’s not looking forward to the next few weeks? This is 
     
     hardly my favourite time of the year: I’m not a religious guy, so the spiritual essence is kinda 
     
     lost on me, and although they are big factors, it isn’t the stress or the crass commercialism 
     
     of the holiday season (although I’m still expecting to hear that Disney has acquired the 
     
     exclusive rights to the word “Christmas”) which irks me. No, the main culprit is the insincerity 
     
     and phoneyness that seem to flow like cheap draft every December. 
     
    

    
     I’Il concede that this is a time when you’ re supposed to celebrate being alive and 
     
     haying your loved ones around, but it seems that as soon as the Santa parades start, the 
     
     happiness of others goes into overdrive and counters the intended meaning of said bliss. 
     
     Simply put: excessive cheer creates irritation; everyone gets so happy it makes me sick! Now 
     
     before my friends lynch me, I'd better clear my position up: not everyone’s ahypocritical fake. 
     
     I’ve met plenty of people, particularly since I came to PEI, who are genuinely decent, pleasant 
     
     people who brighten the day just by being there (although it does scare me that they can wake 
     
     up happy and be that way all day without the aid of chemicals). Then there’s the sort of people 
     
     who are selectively friendly - a bit rough around the edges, but good company when they’re 
     
     feeling comfortable. And there’s even some out there who are rude, crude and lewd 24/7. 
     
     Ican deal with all these types of people, because they’ re being consistent - they’ re acting like 
     
     themselves, and who can be faulted for being themself? Now, the type who's grouchy and 
     
     disagreeable all year long, butalaol’ Scroogie, they suddenly become all smiles and sunshine 
     
     when the eggnog’s poured and the boughs of holly come out of ¢, are infected with 
     
     the Christmas xe for three weeks of December, then the New Year’s hangover sticks with 
     
     ‘em until next Christmas rolls around? That's another story. 
     
    

    
     The “holiday happy-hound” is something I can’t understand. Is being a shiny, 
     
     happy ee for one month supposed to make up for being crusty and miserable during the 
     
     other eleven? Will singing and laughing fora short time change everyone’s perception of you? 
     
     The way I see it, if you're unpleasant, then dammit, be that way all year long. Don’t take 
     
     athree week holiday to be Mister or Miss Nice. If you growl and snarl on Victoria Day, you'd 
     
     better be doing the same thing Christmas Eve. Conversely, if you're generally good-natured 
     
     all year, then be on the same level all year, don’t raise the level of your antics to the point where 
     
     your friends and neighbours want to strangle you. Joy is kind of like alcohol, great in 
     
     moderation, but you - and others around you - will regret going overboard. 
     
    

    
     See yez all next month... 
     
    
   
   
    
     - Ross Williams, who’s going for drinks with the Grinch 
     
    
   
   
    
     ...by the way, there’s something I need to say: Ross Poole, El Duce, Brian Pillman; The 
     
     world’s a bit colder and a hell of a lot less entertaining without you around... 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Y DP 24 Slice 
     
    
   
   
    
     PARTY 
     
     IZZA 
     
    
   
   
    
     (Any 3 Ingredients) 
     
    
   
   
    
     PRESENT YOUR STUDENT ID 
     
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