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Holiday Wish by Martha Marshall Among my few friends and within my fractured family, I enjoy a reputation as a Scrooge cum laude. It's not so much that I'm cheap; I will gleefully write my niece or nephew a check for four times the amount of the price of gifts she or he wantsùso I won't have to shop for them. I hate to shop. I hate malls and crowds and glitter and snow and sappy Christmas Muzak and fake holiday "goodwill toward men" (or women). I hate most of what the holiday season requires these days. Most of all, I hate the ubiquitous pressure to be cheerful, peaceful, and tolerant for the holidays. In fact, I'm officially calling for some seasonal intolerance. Waitùwhen you hear what I'm talking about, maybe you'll be willing to join me in year-round, daily intolerance. A couple of months ago I was enjoying a leisurely Sunday lunch downtown in Troy. It was a lovely fall afternoon, I had a tasty sandwich at a table by the window looking out at the tree-filled corner of the Russell Sage campus. Munching contentedly, enjoying the view, I was the very picture of peace and goodwillùwell in advance of the holiday season, for once in my life. Suddenly some kind of new, expensive-looking four-wheel drive vehicle screeched to a stop in front of the restaurant. A neatly dressed young man leaped out, and with a flourish, he kicked a big paper cup of soda as hard as he could. The cup was nearly full, so it just turned over, and the soda spread all over the sidewalk. Laughing smugly, as if at some great personal victory, the boy got back in the vehicle, and he and his accomplice drove off with a squeal. My sandwich didn't taste so good after that. I would have liked to kick the boy in the same manner with which he attacked the soda cup. I might do the same with whoever left the cup on the sidewalk, too, because a trash can was less than a yard away. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know violence is never the answer. Even if I had the chance, I probably (I say probably) wouldn't kick the twinkle-toed boy or the litterbug either one. But since I don't know what else might effectively communicate my intolerance for their behavior, I still harbor intolerant thoughts toward the selfish little brats. So my holiday wish is to organize and promote intolerance and ill-will toward all those who think it's cute to litter, or that it's funny or cool or macho to show your soccer kick against the formidable opponent of a paper soda cup. I'm asking Santa for intolerance and ill-will toward those who, say, push in front of others in lines, who turn the supposedly happy holiday hustle and bustle into frenzied hurry and worry. I'm praying for anger and outrage against insolence and arrogance and rudeness. The best holiday gift may be not giving into selfishness. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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