The airing of grievances

 As 2020 fades away, we air our grievances for the year.

2020 is thankfully coming to an end with some positivity in sight. We have a vaccine on the horizon, Trump is out of office, and the possibility of Holly getting into Hive again before she graduates no longer feels like a pipe dream. 

Although on our journey back to a society full of pints of fun and nights out, we will be also facing those nasty parts of socialisation that we’re grateful to have avoided for the last 10 months – the ones we now might even secretly miss.

So this month, we decided to take a note from Seinfeld (did you know Jordan is American?). For those not familiar with the show, there is a holiday devoid of religion and commercialism in which the characters celebrate by telling people their problems. We wanted to do something that is slightly different, so we are going to tell you the problems we used to have before Covid that we now look back fondly on. So to get us started in the wise words of Frank Costanza: “I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you’re gonna hear about it!”

Jordan Hunter, Editor-in-Chief: Mariah Carey. I can’t tell you how overrated All I Want for Christmas Is You truly is. It’s fine on the radio every once in a while, but please, I don’t need it to repeat everywhere I go. I go to bed and it’s still playing in my head like white noise. That being said, it is a marker of the Christmas season, and in a year which couldn’t feel less Christmassy, I’m missing Mariah. I guess what I’m saying Mariah is, all I want for Christmas is you. 

Pubs. How come you’re only full when I feel the need to go. I used to walk past pubs every other night of the week and no one will be there, but all of sudden, when I decide to go, people are crowding it like there is tomorrow. It’s not even just because it’s the weekend, no. I could go at 2pm on a Tuesday and it will still be full just because I wanted to go. Although, I’d do anything just to be let back in the doors, even if it meant standing for the entire trip.

Black Friday. It’s an absolute state going around the shops while everyone and their mother is fighting for the next deal. It resembles more of a battlefield than a festive event of giving. The queues last ages and people are just shoving left and right, all whilst trying to run through excessively large crowds. Sadly, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go to those same shops again.
Holly Jennings, Editor-in-Chief: This year, I’m missing waiting. I think I set the record for the most impatient person in the world, and simultaneously, the fastest eater (seriously I think I can finish a Paesano in sub 60 seconds). So when the obligatory Christmas party rolls around, I’m usually not looking forward to it, not because of the overwhelming fear of having to dance in front of my colleagues and somehow expect to maintain respect in the workplace come Monday, but because of that wait between starter, main, and dessert. No matter the size of your dinner party, I can guarantee you that you would be able to read War and Peace twice over in the space between the first starter and last dinner being served. Next year, I’m looking forward to my stomach grumbling during the wait. 

Festivus is a family event, so we reached out to our team to let them air their grievances. 

Chloe Waterhouse, Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Waiting in line for Fraser Building pizza, knowing fine well it will taste of misery – I never thought I’d miss your cardboard taste. 

Ananya Venkatesan, Theatre Editor: Clubbing. Clubbing is good fun, but only sometimes. Bars and gaff are just so much better. But, I do miss Hive.

Allison Campbell, Photography and Illustrations Manager: There’s nothing worse than sitting in a crowded, chaotic airport for hours, waiting in lines and running to gates. Sure we’ve all agreed to suspending judgement, but the excitement of going somewhere new or returning home at the end is irreplaceable.

Craig Smith, Sports Editor: There‘s obviously a lot of downsides to commenting but I miss the opportunity to listen to podcasts, I know there are other opportunities to listen but I feel I never make time when I’m not forced into it (as I feel I am when I commute). All grievances aside, we here at The Glasgow Guardian wish you a happy Festivus as well as happy holidays. We know this year might look different to what you might expect this time of year, but can still find comfort in the simple things that make this season great. We wish you all the best in the new year and good riddance to the old. We can’t wait to see, and write about, all you do next year.