WHEN it comes to expressing likes and dislikes,
there are socially accepted mores. In terms of female celebrities, for example, it is perfectly acceptable to express your loathing of actress Anne Hathaway.
Say the same about Miriam O'Callaghan and people, rightly, wonder what is wrong with you.
It's OK to state you're not a fan of Christmas and then rant about commercialism and general over-indulgence.
But Easter-haters don't tend to be vocal about their aversion to this time of year – presumably so as not to offend Christians, pagans celebrating spring, bunny lovers, chocolate freaks and roast lamb zealots.
Yet there is so much for an Easter Grinch to get agitated about, not least the fact that it's a moveable feast and that fixing the date would be so much more convenient. The weather never lends itself to doing anything nice – hello, snow. If you haven't given anything up for Lent, there's residual guilt. There is also the nausea caused by eating too much chocolate egg.
At the core of the matter is today: Good Friday. If ever there was a misnomer of a day, this is it. Grim Friday would be a better name, when you're on the secular side of the fence. And if you're religious you still have to contend with the fact that one of the most important days in the Christian calendar is such a downbeat one.
The German word Karfreitag, which means Mourning Friday, makes far more sense, whether you're viewing it as a day of mourning for your Lord, or mourning for religious imposition on your social life. For churchgoers, the service time of 3pm messes up the day.
For everybody else it distills down to alcohol. That pubs do not open and that alcohol cannot be purchased and served on two days of the year – today and Christmas Day – is a fact that all Irish people are well acquainted with.
Today throws an uncomfortable spotlight on our boozing.
There's no denying that seeing queues at off-licences, people stocking up in anticipation of the 'drought' today is depressing. How much can you drink in one day? A lot, clearly.
It's going to be a long Good Friday so best try to get through it by admiring the crocuses and eating hot-cross buns instead.