The Holiday Ranting, First Winter Holiday Special

 Ahhhh... Winter has arrived in the north hemisphere, and you know what that means, right? Cold weather, longer nights, snow in the coldest places, and Fox News' War on Christmas is in full swing again. Christians are celebrating Mithras and Saturnalia, (I mean X-Mas,) pagans celebrate the Solstice/Yule, Chanukah menorahs are lit once more, and other winter celebrations from the many other cultures that I didn't mention.

The Traditional Festivus Pole

Families are coming together to (apparently) cause as much awkward family drama as possible in as short a time as possible, all while trying to maintain the illusion of the "ideal American family Christmas." It must be the sole purpose of the family gatherings that these holidays bring, because at no other time of year has the family forgotten where their dramas lie. This is the way I've perceived these "celebrations," from nearly every family that I've ever spent holidays with. I am sure that there are a few families that are truly the cheery iconographic Rockwellian families, but I doubt there are many.

It's the time that charity toward not yourself is slightly encouraged under the pretense of doing a good deed for some less fortunate individual through the hands of some religious organization that puts more into their employees' hands than into the total budget meant to help someone in need of it, all year long. I think of all the things that come with the holidays, the charitable demeanor that sweeps over the populace for that short, short time in December, should be an all the time sentiment, regardless of season.

The Roman version of Jesus/Osiris/etc.

I'm certainly not delving into the history of these many holidays that torment us all, heathen and misguided fool alike, though there is a great deal of commonality in the rituals/nuances of the holiday in each culture. Every year the torture is dealt and borne, leaving homes like battlefields in the aftermath, and conflict-inciting relatives leave for another year, peace slowly retakes the landscape. The dawn of the New Year winds down this great annual catastrophe with the false hope of things that may yet happen to change one's life for the best/better, emptily resolving to make this new year better than the one previous, driving an illusory air of confidence that just fades into disappointment as the year wears on and warms up.

So, in light of the wet blanket grumbles that come with this glorious season of darkness, have a safe and happy Corporate Welfare Day, or whatever you choose celebrate with your families.
Thanks for your time, and share the best part of your winter celebrations... (Pics will be greatly appreciated for the best sounding stories.)