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December 25, 2002
How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Mammoth
When I lived in LA I believed I retained my acute awareness of how impersonal, commercial, and material the town was and that my awareness made me somewhat immune to it. However, I've come to find that the above traits are relative depending on ones viewpoint. Now I live in Mammoth, and over the Christmas holiday's we've been inundated with people from 'down south', driving to town in their Navigators, Excursions, Hummers, Audi's, etc..., families in tow. The town has gone insane with cell phones, poor offensive driving (on ice), and irritable people who's hurried lives are more important than everyone's around them, a fact which should be obvious to all they encounter. Fighting over parking spots and places in line, yelling at total strangers in front of their children. Trying to one up their friends and buy their children's love. Never before have I seen the dirty side of Christmas so magnified.I have a couple theories as to why that is, but first I want to say that its not ALL bad. There are a lot of nice people visiting too. And in general, I still really love LA and its diversity. Like any town, it has some bad elements, on both sides of the socioeconomic spectrum. Normally, a town like Mammoth attracts the good side. Those that come to the outdoors to pay homage to the beauties that the Sierra's have to offer. During Christmas, however, that element knows better and stays home. Mammoth is much more expensive during Christmas, so those that do make it, and can afford to put their whole families up for a couple nights, paying for lifts tickets and rentals, are the kind who made that much money by displaying the exact self-centered behavior which I witness daily. They've 'succeeded' and now they deserve respect. More respect, even, than those around them, who believe they are equally deserving.
Its a white Christmas in Mammoth, and its still very beautiful. I don't really drive, so my only highway headache is trying to cross Main street between a steady stream of LA offensive drivers. If anything, I'm somewhat thankful for having this particular group of visitors remind me how lucky I am, to live and work in a place like this.
Posted by wonko at December 25, 2002 03:43 PM
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