don't take advantage of my christmas spirit

tonight the dogs rushed the door
I had not heard a knock but the intensity of the bark had me confident that there was someone at the door
sure enough... there was some teen age girl selling some sort of candy for this and that
I hardly gave it a listen
as I do not like to support the door to door "canvasing"
nor do I feel that a torn and tattered piece of paper with words on it legitimizes the cause

so... holding the dogs back I opened the door greeted the young woman and said thanks but no thanks
this all of course after I let her tell her piece

when I was a small boy I went to a catholic school
the world in the seventies was closer to the fifties than the nineties
we were watching Happy Days and thinking that sort of behavior was normal
going to catholic school with uniforms and architecture designed in the fifties only made it all that more surreal
as a child from second to 8th grade I was sent around to sell The World's Finest Chocolate bars (which were fantastic and had a coupon for Shakey's on the back), Holy Childhood seals, collect for Unicef, and whatever else they wanted us to do
it was aweful
it was absurd
but this is not my point

all over the city there are homeless people who were wise enough to let the change add up enough to purchase a santa hat at CVS
it is a good hook... but does this mean that I need to cough up some change?
it is tough... I am in traffic at a stop light and there is some guy that looks like he just climbed out of the mines of west virginia
there he is with his santa hat and his cardboard box sign
well... he makes eye contact and well... I have my kids
bah hum bug
he got nothing!

this is not to say that I do not give
I do give
but I do not feel as if I need to give to anyone and everyone who is clever enough to get a red hat with a white snowball on top

it takes advantage of my christmas spirit