# Santa hates us all: December mini-rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2021, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330 "2021-12-02T02:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/21 "2021-12-02T22:58:49Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > šŸŽµ ā€œ _Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how very much I hate thee_ ā€ šŸŽ¶ was going to be the alternate title of this thread, but it was a bit on the long side. How aboutā€¦ ā€œTannenbaums Awayā€? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/22 "2021-12-02T23:24:25Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > No need to pay a high-priced installation service. I just need someoneā€¦ Boy, I have a half dozen neighbors I could call on in a situation like that. Move to my street! I have a friend who canNOT leave home for a whole morning or afternoon because ā€œWhoā€™ll walk the dog?ā€ I asked if a neighbor could be on callā€¦ ā€œand you can repay the favor sometimes.ā€ His reply? ā€œIā€™ve never even said hello to any of my neighbors.ā€ (and his street is small family homes with small yards, so heā€™s within shouting distance of about thirty people, as are we) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/23 "2021-12-02T23:30:27Z")
XD Seriously, Iā€™m a little afraid of the thing now. Iā€™m flinching every time I hear a sound that might possibly be the beginnings of another tipover. šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/24 "2021-12-02T23:40:32Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Boy, I have a half dozen neighbors I could call on in a situation like that. Move to my street! I have several neighbours who are very kind and have helped me out in various ways. But the reality is that I donā€™t really socialize with them much, so I would feel it an imposition to knock on their door and ask for handyman-type help. My close friends are not exactly in the prime of high-energy life, either, and come over to have a good time, not to be conscripted into manual labour. And so it goes ā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/25 "2021-12-02T23:46:41Z")
My grandfather mounted our tree stand to a sheet of plywood to keep the tree from tipping over on our carpet. Sure it was ugly, but it worked, and thatā€™s what tree skirts are for. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/26 "2021-12-03T00:10:49Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have several neighbours who are very kind and have helped me out in various ways. But the reality is that I donā€™t really socialize with them much, so I would feel it an imposition to knock on their door and ask for handyman-type help. My close friends are not exactly in the prime of high-energy life, either, and come over to have a good time, not to be conscripted into manual labour. And so it goes ā€¦ You mentioned a son: is he in driving distance? Healthy and reasonably ept? Possibly looking for a suggestion for what to give dead old Dad for Christmas because, man, the guy either already has it or doesnā€™t want it? Then you could get something you absolutely would appreciate instead of some ugly sweater or whatever he tends to fall back on, plus you could use what youā€™d have had to pay the handyman to beef up his gift. Hey, you went to the trouble of raising him. NOW is your time to benefit. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/27 "2021-12-03T00:16:38Z")
> [@digs](#): > > If I canā€™t take my morning pills\* right away, I pour them into my hand. Then Iā€™m trying to do tasks uncomfortably, and wondering if the pills can melt from body heat, and I pretty much canā€™t think of anything else until I _swallow the damn pills!_ Oh, thatā€™s an excellent suggestion! Iā€™ll give it a try tonight! > [@MissTake](#): > > My secret: Schedule meds when the cat eats, keep them by her dry food. If I forget, there is NO way she will let me forget. Another excellent idea! Except we are petless nowadays. Maybe I should adopt one just for that reason, except nowadays we fear that pets might outlive us, or at least our ability to live independently. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/28 "2021-12-03T00:21:32Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Seriously, Iā€™m a little afraid of the thing now. Iā€™m flinching every time I hear a sound that might possibly be the beginnings of another tipover. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7ZoW0DtwNZ8/maxresdefault.jpg "Doctor Who [I'm GoNnA gEt KILlEd By A cHrIsTmAs TrEe")](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZoW0DtwNZ8) ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/29 "2021-12-03T03:12:56Z")
Well, whatā€™s a good tree withoutā€¦ good potting soilā€¦? ( ā€¦ or soil sold like Pot evenā€¦? ) > **[Forget horse paste. Anti-vaxxers are now literally eating dirt to stay healthy](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/12/2/2067237/-Forget-horse-paste-Anti-vaxxers-are-now-literally-eating-dirt-to-stay-healthy)** > > What else might people do to prevent COVID-19ā€”aside from taking a free, safe, effective, FDA-approved vaccine? Horse paste was all the rage for a while. Bleach injections never really took off, despite the ocher abominationā€™s imprimatur. Oh, I... ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/30 "2021-12-03T03:20:45Z")
Not being sure how it works up north, but out this way, we are encouraged to call the non-emergancy number for our local fire department if we need help with smoke detectors. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/31 "2021-12-03T03:22:04Z")
My pill taking strategy is to have an alarm on my phone. And a rule that I canā€™t turn it off until Iā€™ve already taken the damn pills. I also have the strategy of having someone else living with me who will tell me to take the damn pills. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/32 "2021-12-03T06:00:17Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > You mentioned a son: is he in driving distance? Healthy and reasonably ept? Possibly looking for a suggestion for what to give **dead** old Dad for Christmas because, man, the guy either already has it or doesnā€™t want it? Boy, youā€™re really jumping the gun here, arenā€™t you? (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/33 "2021-12-03T13:32:39Z")
I remember my dad doing this too (mainly because the floor was uneven in that room). Iā€™m guessing thatā€™s why those traditional red and green metal stands have a hole punched in each foot. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/34 "2021-12-03T13:34:06Z")
šŸ¤£ The way the tinsel was wrapped around the branches (yes, Mom still uses tinsel), you would think the tree was doing that on the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/35 "2021-12-03T14:24:38Z")
That makes sense. It worked well for us. Our tree never fell over, even though the kittens tried to climb it. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/36 "2021-12-03T15:07:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Boy, youā€™re really jumping the gun here, arenā€™t you? (bolding mine) Whoops! Awful typo, sorry Wolfpup! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/37 "2021-12-03T15:39:18Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Whoops! Awful typo, sorry Wolfpup! I figured with your avatar itā€™s an understandable Freudian slip. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/38 "2021-12-03T21:14:03Z")
I had managed to score two bottles of the hard-to-find Old Bay brand hot sauce. I was bringing it along with my jambalaya to my friends thanksgiving dinner. I dropped the bottle on the stone patio in front of their place and broke the almost-full bottle to pieces all over the ground and got two huge splashes on my favorite pair of jeans. PISSED OFF. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/39 "2021-12-03T22:08:58Z")
If it makes you feel any better, I believe our local prices (UK, we sell per litre, obviously in another currency, so I may have mucked this up) translate as well over $7 a gallon at the moment. Prices on other stuff are also definitely higher than Iā€™ve ever seen before tooā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330/40 "2021-12-03T22:29:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > > Donā€™t get me started on gasoline. Jeebus. > > I heard itā€™s likely to be over $5 a gallon as a national average in the US. From what I can see on Google, it currently averages under $3.50 per gallon in most of the US, but that may not be up to date. Here in Ontario, local discount places are around $1.29 per liter, which is equal to about $3.80 USD per US gallon. Itā€™s surprising itā€™s that close, actually, because in general gasoline taxes are much higher here; the price at the pump includes 10Ā¢ per liter in federal excise tax, 8.8Ā¢ in escalating federal carbon tax, about 14Ā¢ in Ontario gasoline tax, plus about 16Ā¢ in HST. @Filbert, gas prices in the UK and continental Europe have always been much higher than here, I believe largely because of taxes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-hates-us-all-december-mini-rants/955330.md?page=3)