Top 3 Mistakes that Have (or Had) Ruined Everybody's Christmas Spirits

What things are sure to ruin everybody's Christmas spirits? Can it be a snapdragon burning your Christmas pudding into a crisp? How about a misbehaving child in your Catholic parish's midnight Mass bolting up and down the nave and screaming so loudly that everyone can hear him or her? Here's one of the worst ways to ruin one: drive drunk and risk being arrested or killing someone or yourself.

Enough with the most horrible ways to ruin our happy holidays. There are way more bad things that can dampen Yuletide spirits in a pinch.

Which children do not get so upset when they hear via teachers that Santa is a fake being and that only parents bring stuff they want for that holiday? How about a theme park that promises good things only to give their customers something below their expectations? Even worse, how would a lot of us who celebrate Christmas react if officials change programs to make it more inclusive for those who don't celebrate it?

Well, those are the top 3 things that make (or have made) Christmas a whole lot unhappier.

When was the last time when parents told you that Santa Claus does not exist in private in your childhood? Well, that revelation of that harsh reality to a child is no longer intimate in recent years.

Imagine that you are a child in an elementary school. You are talking about Santa, just like your fellow pupils. Suddenly, the substitute teacher told you that only your parents give you presents for Christmas, not him. You react by crying to your parents and they react by complaining to your school.

That was what exactly happened at a primary school in the United Kingdom. One parent claimed that the teacher was of a religion that didn't allow her to believe that he is real. Fortunately, the school fired her after that incident. She learned her lesson that just because she thought he's a figure in fantasy didn't mean that she could take it out on her schoolkids.

But other people or firms are no strangers to traumatizing children in facing the reality that Santa is imaginary. One French bank's television advertisement that cued between segments of a Disney/Pixar film showed a father telling his adult son the same way. That mortified and upset children beyond belief. A child psychologist compared it to a bomb going off in a child's mind. An Italian priest told children that belief too, and that he's not part of the "true meaning of Christmas."

I understand that there are some of you who don't believe there is a Santa Claus, but taking that out on a huge group of children is pathetic. Leave the "is Santa real" beliefs to the parents and only allow them, and no one else, to tell it to their kids. Have the kids realize that he's not real only when they are in their upper teens.

What could be better than spending Christmas at a theme park? Do you love the entertainment filled with holiday songs? Do you like marveling at all the decorations?

Well, having Christmas at a park can make or break customers' expectations. To do the latter, all you have to do is to deceive them by promising things like an ice rink, real reindeer, magical tunnels of light, and a photo opportunity with Santa.

Take the defunct park Lapland New Forest, in Dorset, United Kingdom for instance. It promised a crèche, an ice rink, a Christmas market, and real snow. It also promised a grotto where children could pose with Father Christmas.

But then there was the reality: the ice rink melted, the tunnel of light was just spray-painted rows of trees with paltry Christmas lights, and there was mud everywhere. Also, the nativity scene was nothing more than a mural. To quote a comedic songwriter:

The nativity scene
It wasn't the best that I've seen,
Was it designed
By Dell Boy?

Worst of all, the lines to take pictures with Santa were more than just an hour long. Also, it cost parents extra for that one photo, and they just paid admission for that marketing hoax. On one day of operation, a couple of them beat one actor as Father Christmas and a couple of elves up. On another day, a female staff member closed the park down because she said that he "was dead." Fortunately, it closed a few days after first opening to the public.

If you really want a theme park Christmas done right, head to one with a better, trusted reputation. Those at Walt Disney World really go above and beyond their patrons' expectations by holding all those special events and treating them to the holiday magic. They guarantee you special holiday shows, parades, and even fireworks.

Don't waste your money on something that promises you the good but gives you the bad.

What's worse than burning the whole Christmas dinner, then having to create a holiday feast via pizza deliveries? To me, that's taking everything anti-Christmas out on those who celebrate it.

To see what I mean, I can tell you that many schools and other public places are trying to make the holidays more inclusive to everyone. A school concert can't have Christmas songs, whether they are secular or sacred. That's because there are 5 Muslim children in the student body. A big-box store might instruct employees to say "Happy Holidays" and nothing else. A public display might specify only leafless trees, white lights, snow, regular deer, and snowflakes.

Unfortunately, that reality when school principals ask music teachers to reconsider their concert bands' instrumental versions of "Merry Christmas, Darling" has come true since recent times. After all, the political correctness peaks around that time of year, and it's not uncommon for minorities to complain about a tree infringing on their religious beliefs.

Thus, going anti-Christmas on everyone ranks high on my countdown on Christmas-spirit wreckers.

Christmas can be ruined in so many ways possible. You can give your children some clothes they would not appreciate. You can humiliate someone with abuse or issues regarding them. You can give your obese kid a workout tape he does not like.

But there are far worse ways to bomb the holidays. How about being a second grade teacher telling students that Santa is just a fantasy? How about promising a special Christmas theme park only to provide your clients with a mere carnival with cruddy rides? How about taking holiday music off the radios because there are small amounts of those who don't celebrate Christmas?

Any way you slice it, you can dampen everyone's Christmas spirits. Let's make the season merrier by having good attitudes, shall we?