Why is christmas not good?
https://www.businessinsider.com/christmas-is-the-worst-2017-10
25 reasons why Christmas can be the worst time of year
2017-11-02T20:46:34Z
INSIDER
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 <span>The most wonderful time of the year...</span>
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 <p>The holidays are often touted as the most wonderful time of the year... but are they really?</p><p>Before getting defensive and calling us grinches, hear us out <em>— </em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/christmas">Christmas</a> simply isn&#39;t always what it&#39;s cracked up to be.</p><p>From an empty bank account to fraught family dynamics, Christmas can quickly go from the best time of year to the worst.</p><p>Here are 25 reasons why Christmas isn&#39;t all that jolly.</p>
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 </p><h2>Travel is insane.</h2>
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 <span>Give yourself a lot more time to go through TSA.</span>
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 <p>Not only are flights super expensive around Christmas, airports are jam-packed, lines are insane, and flights are frequently delayed. Driving isn&#39;t much better as highways become clogged.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Mall parking is mayhem.</h2>
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 <span>Mall parking is mayhem.</span>
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 <p>From Black Friday onward, don&#39;t expect to find a parking spot at the mall. It is mayhem.</p> 
 
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 </p><h2>Electricity bills skyrocket.</h2>
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 <span>That&#39;s a lot of energy consumption.</span>
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 <p>Sure, Christmas lights are pretty, but your electric bill won&#39;t be.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>It&#39;s breakup season.</h2>
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 <span>Prepare for a pre-holiday breakup.</span>
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 <p>Two weeks before Christmas is <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/christmas-breakups-romantic-relationships-end-holidays/story?id=12307305">peak breakup time.</a> Maybe they don&#39;t want you to meet their family, maybe they don&#39;t want to have to buy you a gift, or maybe the stresses surrounding the holiday just got to be too much. Regardless of the reason, prepare yourself for potential heartbreak.<br/><span></span></p>
 
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 </p><h2>Your bank account will be drained.</h2>
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 <span>So much money.</span>
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 <p>Between buying presents, plane tickets, decorations, food, and more, your bank account will be drained by the New Year.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Family dynamics with your SO&#39;s relatives can be even harder.</h2>
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 <span>A scene from &#34;Meet the Parents.&#34;</span>
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 <p>Spending a lot of time with your <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mother-in-law-horror-stories-2017-10">partner&#39;s family</a> can be even tougher, especially over a longer period of time and in close quarters.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Buying presents is stressful.</h2>
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 <span>Christmas shopping is annoying.</span>
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 <p>Finding the perfect gift is so much pressure. And just when you think you found it... it turns out that Aunt Susan got the same thing.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Holiday depression is a thing.</h2>
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 <span>The holidays aren&#39;t always a happy time.</span>
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 <p>Christmas is often associated with an image of love, peace, and happiness, so it can feel gut-wrenching when you don&#39;t feel any of those emotions on the inside, which is why <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/holiday-depression_n_6326906.html">many people get depressed around the holidays</a>. Between family conflicts, financial woes, holiday breakups, <span>and high</span> expectations, Christmas isn&#39;t always a happy time for everyone.</p><p>While the holidays may pressure you into putting on a facade of happiness, remember that it&#39;s ok to feel sad.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>It&#39;s horrible for the environment.</h2>
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 <span>So much trash.</span>
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 <p>From massive amounts of trash going straight into a landfill to food waste and energy consumption, <span>Christmas is </span><em>horrible</em><span> for the environment. </span></p>
 
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 </p><h2>It&#39;s all about excessive consumerism.</h2>
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 <span>Black Friday shenanigans.</span>
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 <p>Christmas has gotten incredibly commercial, and all about buying things. How crazy is it that Black Friday has gotten <a href="http://blackfridaydeathcount.com/">10 people killed and 105 people injured</a>?</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Christmas music gets old fast.</h2>
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 <span>Do not play Christmas music in November.</span>
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 <p>The first time you hear &#34;All I want for Christmas is you&#34; is nice and nostalgic. By the 100th time you&#39;re over it.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>You have to pretend to like presents you actually hate.</h2>
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 <span>Fake it till you make it.</span>
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 <p>Nothing is worse than having to pretend you <em>love</em> the socks your aunt gave you for the fifth Christmas in a row.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>It&#39;s exhausting.</h2>
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 <span>The holiday can just be too much.</span>
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 <p>Everything about Christmas is exhausting. Traveling to see family, shopping, cooking, baking, decorating, small talk, holiday party after holiday party... It can really take a toll on people.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>It starts way too early.</h2>
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 <span>Disney World puts up its Christmas decorations during the first week of November.</span>
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 <p>The first week of November is just too darn soon to be thinking about Christmas. Disney World, for example, starts putting up their decorations on <a href="https://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/disney-world-special-events-festivals-and-parties/#xmasdecor">November 1st</a>. At least wait until after Thanksgiving...</p>
 
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 </p><h2>Office holiday parties can be really awkward.</h2>
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 <span>A scene from SNL&#39;s &#34;Office Christmas Party&#34; sketch.</span>
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 <p><span>The office holiday party is always a sticky social situation to navigate. Not having enough fun can mark you as an office bore, while having too much fun can completely ruin your work reputation — it&#39;s a fine line. </span></p>
 
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 </p><h2>Fruitcake is disgusting.</h2>
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 <span>So dry.</span>
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 <p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-do-we-still-eat-fruitcake-2016-12?utm_content=buffer13aa2&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer-insider"></a>You do not want to be known as the person who brought fruitcake to the holiday party. Between the weird chunks of green and orange, something about this iconic cake is just inedible.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>You have to take awkward family photos.</h2>
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 <span>Did it flash?</span>
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 <p>Being reunited with family for the holidays means you are forced to take a lot of awkward family photos. Even better when some older relative is in charge who can&#39;t seem to figure out the camera.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>If you live in a warm climate, you never get a white Christmas.</h2>
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 <span>Dreaming of a white Christmas is always just a dream.</span>
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 <p>A &#34;white Christmas&#34; has become iconic — too bad it&#39;s unrealistic for many.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>If you live in a cold climate, it&#39;s too cold.</h2>
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 <span>Brr.</span>
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 <p>If you do get to enjoy a white Christmas... it&#39;s often unbearably cold and involves lots of shoveling.</p> 
 
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 </p><h2>Singles have to watch couples be all cutesy.</h2>
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 <span>The holiday can make you feel lonely.</span>
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 <p>Mistletoe can be super awkward... both as a single receiving unwanted advances and a single having to watch couples be all lovey-dovey.</p> 
 
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 </p><h2>If your birthday is anywhere near Christmas, you always run the risk of having your presents combined.</h2>
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 <span>Don&#39;t combine the presents.</span>
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 <p><span>December babies always get gypped as most people will simply combine their birthday and Christmas gifts. And who wants to go to another party when there are so many holiday parties to attend?</span></p>
 
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 </p><h2>The lie that is Santa.</h2>
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 <span>Santa isn&#39;t real.</span>
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 <p>Keeping the lie alive is tough enough, but once the truth comes out the jolly old guy becomes a little more creepy than comforting <span>—</span> especially mall Santas.</p>
 
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 </p><h2>You can&#39;t say you don&#39;t like Christmas without being called a grinch.</h2>
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 <span>Not everyone loves the holiday.</span>
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 <p>Disliking Christmas is ok. Whether you love Christmas or hate Christmas, your feelings are valid.</p><p><em>Sign up <a href="https://e.businessinsider.com/join/insider-social-first">here</a> to get INSIDER&#39;s top stories straight to your inbox.</em></p>
 
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 The most wonderful time of the year...
  
 Sony Pictures
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The holidays are often touted as the most wonderful time of the year... but are they really? Before getting defensive and calling us grinches, hear us out —  Christmas simply isn&#39;t always what it&#39;s cracked up to be. From an empty bank account to fraught family dynamics, Christmas can quickly go from the best time of year to the worst. Here are 25 reasons why Christmas isn&#39;t all that jolly.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Travel is insane.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Give yourself a lot more time to go through TSA.
  
 Scott Olson / Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Not only are flights super expensive around Christmas, airports are jam-packed, lines are insane, and flights are frequently delayed. Driving isn&#39;t much better as highways become clogged.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Mall parking is mayhem.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Mall parking is mayhem.
  
 Shutterstock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 From Black Friday onward, don&#39;t expect to find a parking spot at the mall. It is mayhem. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Electricity bills skyrocket.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 That&#39;s a lot of energy consumption.
  
 
 Philipp Alexander/Flickr
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sure, Christmas lights are pretty, but your electric bill won&#39;t be.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It&#39;s breakup season.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Prepare for a pre-holiday breakup.
  
 
 Jason Ramirez/YouTube
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Two weeks before Christmas is peak breakup time. Maybe they don&#39;t want you to meet their family, maybe they don&#39;t want to have to buy you a gift, or maybe the stresses surrounding the holiday just got to be too much. Regardless of the reason, prepare yourself for potential heartbreak.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Your bank account will be drained.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 So much money.
  
 
 Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Between buying presents, plane tickets, decorations, food, and more, your bank account will be drained by the New Year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Family dynamics with your SO&#39;s relatives can be even harder.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 A scene from &#34;Meet the Parents.&#34;
  
 
 Universal Studios
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Spending a lot of time with your partner&#39;s family can be even tougher, especially over a longer period of time and in close quarters.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Buying presents is stressful.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Christmas shopping is annoying.
  
 
 Hunter Martin/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Finding the perfect gift is so much pressure. And just when you think you found it... it turns out that Aunt Susan got the same thing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Holiday depression is a thing.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 The holidays aren&#39;t always a happy time.
  
 
 Xavier Sotomayor/Unsplash
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Christmas is often associated with an image of love, peace, and happiness, so it can feel gut-wrenching when you don&#39;t feel any of those emotions on the inside, which is why many people get depressed around the holidays. Between family conflicts, financial woes, holiday breakups, and high expectations, Christmas isn&#39;t always a happy time for everyone. While the holidays may pressure you into putting on a facade of happiness, remember that it&#39;s ok to feel sad.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It&#39;s horrible for the environment.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 So much trash.
  
 
 Flickr / jayneandd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 From massive amounts of trash going straight into a landfill to food waste and energy consumption, Christmas is  horrible  for the environment.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It&#39;s all about excessive consumerism.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Black Friday shenanigans.
  
 REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Christmas has gotten incredibly commercial, and all about buying things. How crazy is it that Black Friday has gotten 10 people killed and 105 people injured?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Christmas music gets old fast.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Do not play Christmas music in November.
  
 Def Jam/&#34;All I Want For Christmas Is You&#34;
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The first time you hear &#34;All I want for Christmas is you&#34; is nice and nostalgic. By the 100th time you&#39;re over it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  You have to pretend to like presents you actually hate.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Fake it till you make it.
  
 
 Kylan Robinson/Flickr
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nothing is worse than having to pretend you love the socks your aunt gave you for the fifth Christmas in a row.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It&#39;s exhausting.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 The holiday can just be too much.
  
 Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Everything about Christmas is exhausting. Traveling to see family, shopping, cooking, baking, decorating, small talk, holiday party after holiday party... It can really take a toll on people.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  It starts way too early.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Disney World puts up its Christmas decorations during the first week of November.
  
 
 Flickr/Rob Bixby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The first week of November is just too darn soon to be thinking about Christmas. Disney World, for example, starts putting up their decorations on November 1st. At least wait until after Thanksgiving...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Office holiday parties can be really awkward.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 A scene from SNL&#39;s &#34;Office Christmas Party&#34; sketch.
  
 NBC
 
 
 
 
 
 
  The office holiday party is always a sticky social situation to navigate. Not having enough fun can mark you as an office bore, while having too much fun can completely ruin your work reputation — it&#39;s a fine line.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Fruitcake is disgusting.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 So dry.
  
 
 Flickr / Rachel Tayse
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   You do not want to be known as the person who brought fruitcake to the holiday party. Between the weird chunks of green and orange, something about this iconic cake is just inedible.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  You have to take awkward family photos.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Did it flash?
  
 
 Flickr / Ronny
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Being reunited with family for the holidays means you are forced to take a lot of awkward family photos. Even better when some older relative is in charge who can&#39;t seem to figure out the camera.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  If you live in a warm climate, you never get a white Christmas.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Dreaming of a white Christmas is always just a dream.
  
 REUTERS/David Gray
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A &#34;white Christmas&#34; has become iconic — too bad it&#39;s unrealistic for many.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  If you live in a cold climate, it&#39;s too cold.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Brr.
  
 
 4u4me/iStock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 If you do get to enjoy a white Christmas... it&#39;s often unbearably cold and involves lots of shoveling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Singles have to watch couples be all cutesy.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 The holiday can make you feel lonely.
  
 
 Unsplash / Julia Bonillo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mistletoe can be super awkward... both as a single receiving unwanted advances and a single having to watch couples be all lovey-dovey. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  If your birthday is anywhere near Christmas, you always run the risk of having your presents combined.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Don&#39;t combine the presents.
  
 
 Unsplash / William Stitt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  December babies always get gypped as most people will simply combine their birthday and Christmas gifts. And who wants to go to another party when there are so many holiday parties to attend? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  The lie that is Santa.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Santa isn&#39;t real.
  
 
 MGM via YouTube
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Keeping the lie alive is tough enough, but once the truth comes out the jolly old guy becomes a little more creepy than comforting — especially mall Santas.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  You can&#39;t say you don&#39;t like Christmas without being called a grinch.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 Not everyone loves the holiday.
  
 Universal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Disliking Christmas is ok. Whether you love Christmas or hate Christmas, your feelings are valid.  Sign up here to get INSIDER&#39;s top stories straight to your inbox. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Read the original article on INSIDER. Copyright 2017.
 
 
 
 Follow INSIDER on Twitter.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Christmas
25 reasons why Christmas can be the worst time of year
https://www.insider.com/christmas-is-the-worst-2017-10
https://newrepublic.com/article/115994/reasons-why-christmas-terrible-holiday
Why I Hate Christmas
2023-02-06
James S Henry
<div><div><p><main><article><div><div><p>When I was a kid in Minnesota my family had a huge Scandinavian feast every Christmas Eve, complete with two dozen relatives, three feet of snow, a mountainous evergreen trimmed to the top, a six-course dinner with lutefisk and turkey and eight or ten pies, long-winded after-dinner stories about baseball and World War II, and, of course, lots of brightly wrapped presents. It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays. But I am now willing to say out loud what I suspect many Americans are muttering all across the country at this time of year: Christmas has become a net loss as a socioeconomic institution.<br /></p><p>Although for many years Christmas has been justified on the grounds that it is “merry,” rigorous quantitative analysis establishes that the opposite is the case. Despite claims advanced by proponents that the holiday promotes a desirable “spirit,’’ makes people “jolly,” etc., the data show that the yuletide time period is marked by environmental degradation, hazardous products and travel, and—perhaps most important—inefficient uses of key resources. The holiday is an insidious and overlooked factor in America’s dwindling savings rates, slack worth ethic, and high crime rates. Nor does Christmas truly fulfill its purported distributional objective: the transfer of gifts to those who need them. Moreover, the number of people rendered “joyous” by Christmas is probably equaled or excelled by the number made to feel rather blue. In short, as shown below, although Christmas is an important religious observance that provides wintertime fun for children (who would probably be having fun anyway), it fails the test of cost-effectiveness.</p></div><div><p>Christmas consumes vast resources in the dubious and uncharitable activity of “forced giving.” First, it is necessary to factor in all the time spent searching for “just the right gifts,” writing and mailing cards to people one ignores the rest of the year, decorating trees, attending dreary holiday parties with highly fattening, cholesterol-rich eggnog drinks and false cheer, and returning presents. Assuming conservatively that each U.S. adult spends an average of two days per year on Christmas activities, this represents an investment of nearly one million person-years per season. Just as important is the amount that Americans spend on gratuitous gifts each year—$40 billion to $50 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s monthly retail trade sales. Extra consumer spending is often considered beneficial because it stimulates the economy, but the massive yuletide spike creates numerous harmful externalities.</p></div><div><p>Mistargeted giving is one indication of this waste. According to New York department stores, each year about 15 percent of all retail dollar purchases at Christmas are returned. Allowing for the fact that many misdirected gifts are retained because people feel obliged to keep them (such as appliances, tablecloths, etc., which must be displayed when the relative who gave them to you comes for a visit), and allowing for the widespread inability of children to return gifts, this indicates that up to a third of purchases may be ill-suited to their recipients. Christmas is really a throwback to all the inefficiencies of the barter economy, in which people have to match other people’s wants to their offerings. Of course, money was invented precisely to solve this “double coincidence of wants” problem. One solution would be to require people to give each other cash as presents, but that would quickly reveal the absurdity of the whole institution.</p><p>“Forced giving” also artificially pumps up consumption and reduces savings, since it is unlikely that all the silly and expensive presents given at Christmas would be given at other times of the year. One particularly noxious aspect of Christmas consumption is “conspicuous giving,” which involves luxury gifts such as Tiffany eggs, crystal paperweights, and $15,000 watches that are designed precisely for those who are least in need of any present at all (“the person who has everything”). Most such high-priced gifts are given at Christmas; the fourth quarter, according to a sampling of New York department stores, provides more than half the year’s diamond, watch, and fur sales.</p></div><div><p>Naturally, gratuitous spending delights retailers. Christmas accounts for more than a fifth of their sales and two-fifths of their profits, which suggests a Marxist explanation for the holiday—a powerful economic interest underlying the season’s gift-centered ideology. But for the nation as a whole it increases the burden of consumer debt (almost a quarter of Christmas season sales are financed by credit cards or charge accounts, and January is the peak month for credit card delinquencies) and reduces our flagging savings rate (now below 5 percent of national income).</p><p>For parents, one especially exasperating aspect of Christmas is mindless toy fetishism. Christmas now accounts for 60 percent of the United States’ annual $17 billion expenditure on toys and video games, according to the Toy Manufacturers Association. Much of this rapidly depreciating toy capital consists of TV-show tie-ins (there are 350 separate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle products and scores more of Ghostbusters and Bart Simpson figures) and expensive gadgets that do not work or hold interest for more than a day. According to the toy association, the country now spends nearly as much on video games like Nintendo’s Super Mario and Gameboy (nearly $4 billion), activity figures like World Wrestlers ($500 million), and dolls like Barbie and My Pretty Ballerina ($1.1 billion) as on all retail book sales ($6.6 billion). Since six of the top ten toys are made by Japanese companies, one might adduce a subtle long-run Japanese strategy here.</p><p>What’s more, toys are unusually hazardous consumer products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that each year there are thirty-three deaths and 148,000 emergency room admissions due to hazardous toys, plus 1.2 million toy recalls. (The comparative figures for deaths caused by books and book recalls are zero and zero, respectively.) If these deaths, injuries, and recalls are allocated in proportion to seasonal sales, Christmas emerges as the cause of most of them. And one has only to visit any Toys ‘R’ Us or Child World at this time of year to see the impact of this season’s extraordinary pressures on child-parent relations: distraught mothers dragging tiny toy addicts kicking and screaming away from the latest high-priced, cheesy offerings. All of this unproductive consumption would be much better spent on pencil sharpeners, calculators, and green eyeshades.</p></div><div><p>Christmas increases congestion. At least in large urban areas, it is by far the most unpleasant time to shop, travel, dine out, or go to the bathroom in a mall. Just when stores are at their most crowded, shopping becomes mandatory; just when everyone else is making family visitations, they are <em>de rigueur.</em> December 21 and 22 are the year’s peak dates for air travel, according to the Air Transport Association of America, with 1.7 million Americans per day jamming the nation’s airports, as against a year-long daily average of 1.14 million. Twenty-three million travel during the period from December 19 to January 4—just when the weather is often at its worst and the airlines charge their highest prices.</p><p>According to the U.S. Postal Service, the volume of mail traffic more than doubles to 220 million letters and 6 million parcels per day the week before Christmas, battering a system already weakened by tens of millions of catalogs and advertisements during the previous two months. Telephone calls reach as high as 131 million per day in the month from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, according to AT&amp;T. At many stores and post offices, there are long lines, and costly second and third shifts have to be added to handle them, which consumers ultimately pay for. All of this “peak loading” at Christmas means that airlines, mail delivery, stores, banks, warehouses, telephone systems, roads, and parking lots must be built much larger than if activities were distributed more evenly throughout the year. That wastes precious capital.</p><p>Christmas destroys the environment and innocent animals and birds. These have perhaps not been traditional concerns for economists. But when one takes account of all the Christmas trees, letters, packages, increased newspaper advertising, wrapping paper, and catalogs and cards, as well as all the animals slaughtered for feast and fur, this holiday is nothing less than a catastrophe for the entire ecosystem. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 33 million Christmas trees are consumed each year. Growing them imposes an artificially short rotation period on millions of acres of forest land, and the piles of needles they shed shorten the life of most household rugs and pets. All the trees and paper have to be disposed of, which places a heavy burden on landfill sites and recycling facilities, especially in the Northeast.</p></div><div><p>This year, according to the Humane Society, at least 4 million foxes and minks will be butchered just to provide our Christmas furs. To stock our tables, the Department of Agriculture tells me, we’ll also slaughter 22 million turkeys, 2 million pigs, and 2 million to 3 million cattle, plus a disproportionate fraction of the 6 billion chickens that the United States consumes each year. To anyone who has ever been to a turkey farm, Christmas and Thanksgiving take on a new and somewhat less cheerful meaning. Every single day during the run-up to these holidays, thousands of bewildered, debeaked, growth-hormone-saturated birds are hung upside down on assembly-line racks and given electric shocks. Then their throats are slit and they are dropped into boiling water.</p><p>Christmas introduces sharp seasonal fluctuations into the money demand. This makes it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to cushion the crests and falls of our economy. This is the peak season for people carrying large denominations around, and currency is a popular Christmas gift mostly among employers. The volume of currency in circulation peaks each year in December, then declines by about 4 to 5 percent.</p><p>Christmas leads to a sharp rise in absenteeism and a slump in labor productivity that is unlikely to be recaptured the rest of the year. Many U.S. companies shut down entirely for the two-week period from Christmas to New Year’s. For those that stay open, on-the-job performance often plummets because of the season’s wild parties and high jinks. Although there is no precise data on absenteeism, according to Labor Department experts, industries like manufacturing and construction are likely to have lower productivity while retailing’s productivity is likely to increase.</p></div><div><p>Far from being “the season to be jolly,” Christmas is really the season of sadness and despair. This period’s compulsory merriment, hypercommercialism, heavy drinking, and undue media emphasis on the idealized, two-child, two-parent, orthodox Christian family makes those who don’t share such lifestyles or religious sentiments feel left out, lonely, and even somewhat un-American. And even in so-called normal families, media hype about the season’s merriments often raises expectations and sets up many for disappointment. According to Dr. Quita Mullen, a psychiatrist in Boston, many women in particular exhaust themselves trying to meet both the demands of full-time jobs and the more traditional expectations about what holidays are supposed to be like—provided in part by their (non-working) mothers.</p><p>There is also a great deal of emotional stress associated with compulsory overspending and compulsory displays of affection. (Many people reportedly become highly anxious at the sight of mistletoe.) Police, psychiatrists, and hospitals all report that there is a dramatic rise in alcoholic “slips,” drug overdoses, domestic quarrels, hotline calls, and emergency medical calls at this time of year. “Any redolent setting can be very sad for people who don’t have a dancing partner,” says Mullen. “Christmas is one of those times.”</p><p>Christmas is one of the most hazardous times of the year. The combination of trees, lights, blazing hearths, yuletide passion, and other indoor festivities results in more household fires at this time of year than any other. The fire department in Washington, D.C., reports that fire calls in December are 40 percent above its monthly average; New York City had 2,800 residential fires last December, as compared with a 2,000-per-month average.</p></div><div><p>According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December is the peak month for drunk driving and “DWI” arrests, which last year totaled 1.8 million. Not surprisingly, it is also the peak month for accidents—because of drunkenness, congestion, and bad weather—with more than 460,000 last year, compared with a monthly average of only 386,000. In just the three days around Christmas last year, 374 people died on the nation’s highways. The only consolation is that last year’s Thanksgiving was even worse, with 402 deaths. Of course, weather is a compounding factor—for most of us in the colder climes, life would be much easier if we could at least agree to observe Christmas in the summer, when the lutefisk is ripe.</p><p>December is also the peak month in the United States for robberies. Last year the number reached about 54,000, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, and it is the second highest for auto theft, with about 136,000. Police suspect that all this property crime is because criminals too are propelled by the need to fill their family stockings. December 1989 had nearly 1,900 murders, a disproportionate share. “Christmas is a crazy season,’’ says Sag Harbor, New York, Police Chief Joseph Ialacci. “It’s a potpourri of emotional extremes—either quiet or all hell breaks loose. There are more assaults, barroom brawls, and family altercations.”</p><p>Excessive eating and drinking are used to compensate for the tribulations of Christmas. According to the Distilled Spirits Council and the Department of Agriculture, in the six short weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, this year we will consume $18 billion of alcohol—including 81 million gallons of hard liquor—1.1 billion pounds of turkey, and a huge quantity of ham, cookies, pies, eggnog, stuffing, plum pudding, and other trimmings. All this indulgence does little good for the nation’s waistline: Christmas is one of the single most important contributors to obesity—the average American consumes more than 3,500 calories at Christmas Day dinner alone. Naturally, January is the peak month for diet plans, many of which end up in failure and despair.</p></div><div><p>Perhaps most important of all, from a purely distributional standpoint, Christmas almost certainly aggravates inequality, since most gift-giving takes place within the family or the same social class, and doesn’t reach the people who really need our help. Salvation Army drum-beating aside, Christmas almost certainly reduces our capacity for charity by draining us of wealth that we might otherwise give to the needy, and of our charitable impulses. This is hardly what the person for whom the holiday is named had in mind.</p><p>Overall, the message is clear: Christmas imposes a huge efficiency tax on our economy, is hazardous to our health and safety, and does little to further social justice. And the efficiency tax may well be growing in real terms—an analysis of long-term changes in the seasonality of the U.S. economy suggests that the Christmas buying season has been getting longer and longer. Christmas commercialism, of course, is a modern innovation. The ancient Christians did not even observe the holiday until the fifth century, medieval Christians observed it much more modestly, and the Puritans sensibly refused to celebrate it at all. Only in the last fifty years, with the perfection of mass-market advertising and the commercialization of religion in general, has it become such a command performance.</p><p>Modern Christmas is like primitive Keynesianism, a short-run-oriented economic experiment that has been tried and found wanting. It is the flipside of the positive contribution the “Protestant ethic” once made to capitalism—Christianity’s high holiday now almost certainly makes us feel worse off. What is to be done? I suggest an experimental two- to three-year moratorium on the whole affair, to let us pay our bills and recover some of the distance we’ve lost. This may sound like tough medicine to youngsters, and to all the other interest groups that have acquired such large commercial stakes in this annual ritual—from bulb manufacturers to ambulance drivers. But the rest of us can no longer afford it. If we celebrate this holiday at all, we should do so mainly because it is over for at least one more year.</p></div></div></article></main></p></div>||||I|||| You are using an outdated browser.
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 The New Republic
 James S. Henry /
 December 31, 1990

 Why I Hate Christmas

 The Grinch has it right.

 THOMAS DWORZAK/MAGNUM PHOTOS

 When I was a kid in Minnesota my family had a huge Scandinavian feast every Christmas Eve, complete with two dozen relatives, three feet of snow, a mountainous evergreen trimmed to the top, a six-course dinner with lutefisk and turkey and eight or ten pies, long-winded after-dinner stories about baseball and World War II, and, of course, lots of brightly wrapped presents. It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays. But I am now willing to say out loud what I suspect many Americans are muttering all across the country at this time of year: Christmas has become a net loss as a socioeconomic institution.

 Although for many years Christmas has been justified on the grounds that it is “merry,” rigorous quantitative analysis establishes that the opposite is the case. Despite claims advanced by proponents that the holiday promotes a desirable “spirit,’’ makes people “jolly,” etc., the data show that the yuletide time period is marked by environmental degradation, hazardous products and travel, and—perhaps most important—inefficient uses of key resources. The holiday is an insidious and overlooked factor in America’s dwindling savings rates, slack worth ethic, and high crime rates. Nor does Christmas truly fulfill its purported distributional objective: the transfer of gifts to those who need them. Moreover, the number of people rendered “joyous” by Christmas is probably equaled or excelled by the number made to feel rather blue. In short, as shown below, although Christmas is an important religious observance that provides wintertime fun for children (who would probably be having fun anyway), it fails the test of cost-effectiveness.

 Christmas consumes vast resources in the dubious and uncharitable activity of “forced giving.” First, it is necessary to factor in all the time spent searching for “just the right gifts,” writing and mailing cards to people one ignores the rest of the year, decorating trees, attending dreary holiday parties with highly fattening, cholesterol-rich eggnog drinks and false cheer, and returning presents. Assuming conservatively that each U.S. adult spends an average of two days per year on Christmas activities, this represents an investment of nearly one million person-years per season. Just as important is the amount that Americans spend on gratuitous gifts each year—$40 billion to $50 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s monthly retail trade sales. Extra consumer spending is often considered beneficial because it stimulates the economy, but the massive yuletide spike creates numerous harmful externalities.

 Mistargeted giving is one indication of this waste. According to New York department stores, each year about 15 percent of all retail dollar purchases at Christmas are returned. Allowing for the fact that many misdirected gifts are retained because people feel obliged to keep them (such as appliances, tablecloths, etc., which must be displayed when the relative who gave them to you comes for a visit), and allowing for the widespread inability of children to return gifts, this indicates that up to a third of purchases may be ill-suited to their recipients. Christmas is really a throwback to all the inefficiencies of the barter economy, in which people have to match other people’s wants to their offerings. Of course, money was invented precisely to solve this “double coincidence of wants” problem. One solution would be to require people to give each other cash as presents, but that would quickly reveal the absurdity of the whole institution.

 “Forced giving” also artificially pumps up consumption and reduces savings, since it is unlikely that all the silly and expensive presents given at Christmas would be given at other times of the year. One particularly noxious aspect of Christmas consumption is “conspicuous giving,” which involves luxury gifts such as Tiffany eggs, crystal paperweights, and $15,000 watches that are designed precisely for those who are least in need of any present at all (“the person who has everything”). Most such high-priced gifts are given at Christmas; the fourth quarter, according to a sampling of New York department stores, provides more than half the year’s diamond, watch, and fur sales.

 Naturally, gratuitous spending delights retailers. Christmas accounts for more than a fifth of their sales and two-fifths of their profits, which suggests a Marxist explanation for the holiday—a powerful economic interest underlying the season’s gift-centered ideology. But for the nation as a whole it increases the burden of consumer debt (almost a quarter of Christmas season sales are financed by credit cards or charge accounts, and January is the peak month for credit card delinquencies) and reduces our flagging savings rate (now below 5 percent of national income).

 For parents, one especially exasperating aspect of Christmas is mindless toy fetishism. Christmas now accounts for 60 percent of the United States’ annual $17 billion expenditure on toys and video games, according to the Toy Manufacturers Association. Much of this rapidly depreciating toy capital consists of TV-show tie-ins (there are 350 separate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle products and scores more of Ghostbusters and Bart Simpson figures) and expensive gadgets that do not work or hold interest for more than a day. According to the toy association, the country now spends nearly as much on video games like Nintendo’s Super Mario and Gameboy (nearly $4 billion), activity figures like World Wrestlers ($500 million), and dolls like Barbie and My Pretty Ballerina ($1.1 billion) as on all retail book sales ($6.6 billion). Since six of the top ten toys are made by Japanese companies, one might adduce a subtle long-run Japanese strategy here.

 What’s more, toys are unusually hazardous consumer products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that each year there are thirty-three deaths and 148,000 emergency room admissions due to hazardous toys, plus 1.2 million toy recalls. (The comparative figures for deaths caused by books and book recalls are zero and zero, respectively.) If these deaths, injuries, and recalls are allocated in proportion to seasonal sales, Christmas emerges as the cause of most of them. And one has only to visit any Toys ‘R’ Us or Child World at this time of year to see the impact of this season’s extraordinary pressures on child-parent relations: distraught mothers dragging tiny toy addicts kicking and screaming away from the latest high-priced, cheesy offerings. All of this unproductive consumption would be much better spent on pencil sharpeners, calculators, and green eyeshades.

 Christmas increases congestion. At least in large urban areas, it is by far the most unpleasant time to shop, travel, dine out, or go to the bathroom in a mall. Just when stores are at their most crowded, shopping becomes mandatory; just when everyone else is making family visitations, they are de rigueur. December 21 and 22 are the year’s peak dates for air travel, according to the Air Transport Association of America, with 1.7 million Americans per day jamming the nation’s airports, as against a year-long daily average of 1.14 million. Twenty-three million travel during the period from December 19 to January 4—just when the weather is often at its worst and the airlines charge their highest prices.

 According to the U.S. Postal Service, the volume of mail traffic more than doubles to 220 million letters and 6 million parcels per day the week before Christmas, battering a system already weakened by tens of millions of catalogs and advertisements during the previous two months. Telephone calls reach as high as 131 million per day in the month from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, according to AT&T. At many stores and post offices, there are long lines, and costly second and third shifts have to be added to handle them, which consumers ultimately pay for. All of this “peak loading” at Christmas means that airlines, mail delivery, stores, banks, warehouses, telephone systems, roads, and parking lots must be built much larger than if activities were distributed more evenly throughout the year. That wastes precious capital.

 Christmas destroys the environment and innocent animals and birds. These have perhaps not been traditional concerns for economists. But when one takes account of all the Christmas trees, letters, packages, increased newspaper advertising, wrapping paper, and catalogs and cards, as well as all the animals slaughtered for feast and fur, this holiday is nothing less than a catastrophe for the entire ecosystem. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 33 million Christmas trees are consumed each year. Growing them imposes an artificially short rotation period on millions of acres of forest land, and the piles of needles they shed shorten the life of most household rugs and pets. All the trees and paper have to be disposed of, which places a heavy burden on landfill sites and recycling facilities, especially in the Northeast.

 This year, according to the Humane Society, at least 4 million foxes and minks will be butchered just to provide our Christmas furs. To stock our tables, the Department of Agriculture tells me, we’ll also slaughter 22 million turkeys, 2 million pigs, and 2 million to 3 million cattle, plus a disproportionate fraction of the 6 billion chickens that the United States consumes each year. To anyone who has ever been to a turkey farm, Christmas and Thanksgiving take on a new and somewhat less cheerful meaning. Every single day during the run-up to these holidays, thousands of bewildered, debeaked, growth-hormone-saturated birds are hung upside down on assembly-line racks and given electric shocks. Then their throats are slit and they are dropped into boiling water.

 Christmas introduces sharp seasonal fluctuations into the money demand. This makes it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to cushion the crests and falls of our economy. This is the peak season for people carrying large denominations around, and currency is a popular Christmas gift mostly among employers. The volume of currency in circulation peaks each year in December, then declines by about 4 to 5 percent.

 Christmas leads to a sharp rise in absenteeism and a slump in labor productivity that is unlikely to be recaptured the rest of the year. Many U.S. companies shut down entirely for the two-week period from Christmas to New Year’s. For those that stay open, on-the-job performance often plummets because of the season’s wild parties and high jinks. Although there is no precise data on absenteeism, according to Labor Department experts, industries like manufacturing and construction are likely to have lower productivity while retailing’s productivity is likely to increase.

 Far from being “the season to be jolly,” Christmas is really the season of sadness and despair. This period’s compulsory merriment, hypercommercialism, heavy drinking, and undue media emphasis on the idealized, two-child, two-parent, orthodox Christian family makes those who don’t share such lifestyles or religious sentiments feel left out, lonely, and even somewhat un-American. And even in so-called normal families, media hype about the season’s merriments often raises expectations and sets up many for disappointment. According to Dr. Quita Mullen, a psychiatrist in Boston, many women in particular exhaust themselves trying to meet both the demands of full-time jobs and the more traditional expectations about what holidays are supposed to be like—provided in part by their (non-working) mothers.

 There is also a great deal of emotional stress associated with compulsory overspending and compulsory displays of affection. (Many people reportedly become highly anxious at the sight of mistletoe.) Police, psychiatrists, and hospitals all report that there is a dramatic rise in alcoholic “slips,” drug overdoses, domestic quarrels, hotline calls, and emergency medical calls at this time of year. “Any redolent setting can be very sad for people who don’t have a dancing partner,” says Mullen. “Christmas is one of those times.”

 Christmas is one of the most hazardous times of the year. The combination of trees, lights, blazing hearths, yuletide passion, and other indoor festivities results in more household fires at this time of year than any other. The fire department in Washington, D.C., reports that fire calls in December are 40 percent above its monthly average; New York City had 2,800 residential fires last December, as compared with a 2,000-per-month average.

 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December is the peak month for drunk driving and “DWI” arrests, which last year totaled 1.8 million. Not surprisingly, it is also the peak month for accidents—because of drunkenness, congestion, and bad weather—with more than 460,000 last year, compared with a monthly average of only 386,000. In just the three days around Christmas last year, 374 people died on the nation’s highways. The only consolation is that last year’s Thanksgiving was even worse, with 402 deaths. Of course, weather is a compounding factor—for most of us in the colder climes, life would be much easier if we could at least agree to observe Christmas in the summer, when the lutefisk is ripe.

 December is also the peak month in the United States for robberies. Last year the number reached about 54,000, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, and it is the second highest for auto theft, with about 136,000. Police suspect that all this property crime is because criminals too are propelled by the need to fill their family stockings. December 1989 had nearly 1,900 murders, a disproportionate share. “Christmas is a crazy season,’’ says Sag Harbor, New York, Police Chief Joseph Ialacci. “It’s a potpourri of emotional extremes—either quiet or all hell breaks loose. There are more assaults, barroom brawls, and family altercations.”

 Excessive eating and drinking are used to compensate for the tribulations of Christmas. According to the Distilled Spirits Council and the Department of Agriculture, in the six short weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, this year we will consume $18 billion of alcohol—including 81 million gallons of hard liquor—1.1 billion pounds of turkey, and a huge quantity of ham, cookies, pies, eggnog, stuffing, plum pudding, and other trimmings. All this indulgence does little good for the nation’s waistline: Christmas is one of the single most important contributors to obesity—the average American consumes more than 3,500 calories at Christmas Day dinner alone. Naturally, January is the peak month for diet plans, many of which end up in failure and despair.

 Perhaps most important of all, from a purely distributional standpoint, Christmas almost certainly aggravates inequality, since most gift-giving takes place within the family or the same social class, and doesn’t reach the people who really need our help. Salvation Army drum-beating aside, Christmas almost certainly reduces our capacity for charity by draining us of wealth that we might otherwise give to the needy, and of our charitable impulses. This is hardly what the person for whom the holiday is named had in mind.

 Overall, the message is clear: Christmas imposes a huge efficiency tax on our economy, is hazardous to our health and safety, and does little to further social justice. And the efficiency tax may well be growing in real terms—an analysis of long-term changes in the seasonality of the U.S. economy suggests that the Christmas buying season has been getting longer and longer. Christmas commercialism, of course, is a modern innovation. The ancient Christians did not even observe the holiday until the fifth century, medieval Christians observed it much more modestly, and the Puritans sensibly refused to celebrate it at all. Only in the last fifty years, with the perfection of mass-market advertising and the commercialization of religion in general, has it become such a command performance.

 Modern Christmas is like primitive Keynesianism, a short-run-oriented economic experiment that has been tried and found wanting. It is the flipside of the positive contribution the “Protestant ethic” once made to capitalism—Christianity’s high holiday now almost certainly makes us feel worse off. What is to be done? I suggest an experimental two- to three-year moratorium on the whole affair, to let us pay our bills and recover some of the distance we’ve lost. This may sound like tough medicine to youngsters, and to all the other interest groups that have acquired such large commercial stakes in this annual ritual—from bulb manufacturers to ambulance drivers. But the rest of us can no longer afford it. If we celebrate this holiday at all, we should do so mainly because it is over for at least one more year.

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 Holidays , Culture , Christmas , From The Stacks , Consumerism , Toys
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When I was a kid in Minnesota my family had a huge Scandinavian feast every Christmas Eve, complete with two dozen relatives, three feet of snow, a mountainous evergreen trimmed to the top, a six-course dinner with lutefisk and turkey and eight or ten pies, long-winded after-dinner stories about baseball and World War II, and, of course, lots of brightly wrapped presents. It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays. But I am now willing to say out loud what I suspect many Americans are muttering all across the country at this time of year: Christmas has become a net loss as a socioeconomic institution.  Although for many years Christmas has been justified on the grounds that it is “merry,” rigorous quantitative analysis establishes that the opposite is the case. Despite claims advanced by proponents that the holiday promotes a desirable “spirit,’’ makes people “jolly,” etc., the data show that the yuletide time period is marked by environmental degradation, hazardous products and travel, and—perhaps most important—inefficient uses of key resources. The holiday is an insidious and overlooked factor in America’s dwindling savings rates, slack worth ethic, and high crime rates. Nor does Christmas truly fulfill its purported distributional objective: the transfer of gifts to those who need them. Moreover, the number of people rendered “joyous” by Christmas is probably equaled or excelled by the number made to feel rather blue. In short, as shown below, although Christmas is an important religious observance that provides wintertime fun for children (who would probably be having fun anyway), it fails the test of cost-effectiveness.   Christmas consumes vast resources in the dubious and uncharitable activity of “forced giving.” First, it is necessary to factor in all the time spent searching for “just the right gifts,” writing and mailing cards to people one ignores the rest of the year, decorating trees, attending dreary holiday parties with highly fattening, cholesterol-rich eggnog drinks and false cheer, and returning presents. Assuming conservatively that each U.S. adult spends an average of two days per year on Christmas activities, this represents an investment of nearly one million person-years per season. Just as important is the amount that Americans spend on gratuitous gifts each year—$40 billion to $50 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s monthly retail trade sales. Extra consumer spending is often considered beneficial because it stimulates the economy, but the massive yuletide spike creates numerous harmful externalities.   Mistargeted giving is one indication of this waste. According to New York department stores, each year about 15 percent of all retail dollar purchases at Christmas are returned. Allowing for the fact that many misdirected gifts are retained because people feel obliged to keep them (such as appliances, tablecloths, etc., which must be displayed when the relative who gave them to you comes for a visit), and allowing for the widespread inability of children to return gifts, this indicates that up to a third of purchases may be ill-suited to their recipients. Christmas is really a throwback to all the inefficiencies of the barter economy, in which people have to match other people’s wants to their offerings. Of course, money was invented precisely to solve this “double coincidence of wants” problem. One solution would be to require people to give each other cash as presents, but that would quickly reveal the absurdity of the whole institution. “Forced giving” also artificially pumps up consumption and reduces savings, since it is unlikely that all the silly and expensive presents given at Christmas would be given at other times of the year. One particularly noxious aspect of Christmas consumption is “conspicuous giving,” which involves luxury gifts such as Tiffany eggs, crystal paperweights, and $15,000 watches that are designed precisely for those who are least in need of any present at all (“the person who has everything”). Most such high-priced gifts are given at Christmas; the fourth quarter, according to a sampling of New York department stores, provides more than half the year’s diamond, watch, and fur sales.   Naturally, gratuitous spending delights retailers. Christmas accounts for more than a fifth of their sales and two-fifths of their profits, which suggests a Marxist explanation for the holiday—a powerful economic interest underlying the season’s gift-centered ideology. But for the nation as a whole it increases the burden of consumer debt (almost a quarter of Christmas season sales are financed by credit cards or charge accounts, and January is the peak month for credit card delinquencies) and reduces our flagging savings rate (now below 5 percent of national income). For parents, one especially exasperating aspect of Christmas is mindless toy fetishism. Christmas now accounts for 60 percent of the United States’ annual $17 billion expenditure on toys and video games, according to the Toy Manufacturers Association. Much of this rapidly depreciating toy capital consists of TV-show tie-ins (there are 350 separate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle products and scores more of Ghostbusters and Bart Simpson figures) and expensive gadgets that do not work or hold interest for more than a day. According to the toy association, the country now spends nearly as much on video games like Nintendo’s Super Mario and Gameboy (nearly $4 billion), activity figures like World Wrestlers ($500 million), and dolls like Barbie and My Pretty Ballerina ($1.1 billion) as on all retail book sales ($6.6 billion). Since six of the top ten toys are made by Japanese companies, one might adduce a subtle long-run Japanese strategy here. What’s more, toys are unusually hazardous consumer products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that each year there are thirty-three deaths and 148,000 emergency room admissions due to hazardous toys, plus 1.2 million toy recalls. (The comparative figures for deaths caused by books and book recalls are zero and zero, respectively.) If these deaths, injuries, and recalls are allocated in proportion to seasonal sales, Christmas emerges as the cause of most of them. And one has only to visit any Toys ‘R’ Us or Child World at this time of year to see the impact of this season’s extraordinary pressures on child-parent relations: distraught mothers dragging tiny toy addicts kicking and screaming away from the latest high-priced, cheesy offerings. All of this unproductive consumption would be much better spent on pencil sharpeners, calculators, and green eyeshades.   Christmas increases congestion. At least in large urban areas, it is by far the most unpleasant time to shop, travel, dine out, or go to the bathroom in a mall. Just when stores are at their most crowded, shopping becomes mandatory; just when everyone else is making family visitations, they are de rigueur. December 21 and 22 are the year’s peak dates for air travel, according to the Air Transport Association of America, with 1.7 million Americans per day jamming the nation’s airports, as against a year-long daily average of 1.14 million. Twenty-three million travel during the period from December 19 to January 4—just when the weather is often at its worst and the airlines charge their highest prices. According to the U.S. Postal Service, the volume of mail traffic more than doubles to 220 million letters and 6 million parcels per day the week before Christmas, battering a system already weakened by tens of millions of catalogs and advertisements during the previous two months. Telephone calls reach as high as 131 million per day in the month from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, according to AT&amp;T. At many stores and post offices, there are long lines, and costly second and third shifts have to be added to handle them, which consumers ultimately pay for. All of this “peak loading” at Christmas means that airlines, mail delivery, stores, banks, warehouses, telephone systems, roads, and parking lots must be built much larger than if activities were distributed more evenly throughout the year. That wastes precious capital. Christmas destroys the environment and innocent animals and birds. These have perhaps not been traditional concerns for economists. But when one takes account of all the Christmas trees, letters, packages, increased newspaper advertising, wrapping paper, and catalogs and cards, as well as all the animals slaughtered for feast and fur, this holiday is nothing less than a catastrophe for the entire ecosystem. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 33 million Christmas trees are consumed each year. Growing them imposes an artificially short rotation period on millions of acres of forest land, and the piles of needles they shed shorten the life of most household rugs and pets. All the trees and paper have to be disposed of, which places a heavy burden on landfill sites and recycling facilities, especially in the Northeast.   This year, according to the Humane Society, at least 4 million foxes and minks will be butchered just to provide our Christmas furs. To stock our tables, the Department of Agriculture tells me, we’ll also slaughter 22 million turkeys, 2 million pigs, and 2 million to 3 million cattle, plus a disproportionate fraction of the 6 billion chickens that the United States consumes each year. To anyone who has ever been to a turkey farm, Christmas and Thanksgiving take on a new and somewhat less cheerful meaning. Every single day during the run-up to these holidays, thousands of bewildered, debeaked, growth-hormone-saturated birds are hung upside down on assembly-line racks and given electric shocks. Then their throats are slit and they are dropped into boiling water. Christmas introduces sharp seasonal fluctuations into the money demand. This makes it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to cushion the crests and falls of our economy. This is the peak season for people carrying large denominations around, and currency is a popular Christmas gift mostly among employers. The volume of currency in circulation peaks each year in December, then declines by about 4 to 5 percent. Christmas leads to a sharp rise in absenteeism and a slump in labor productivity that is unlikely to be recaptured the rest of the year. Many U.S. companies shut down entirely for the two-week period from Christmas to New Year’s. For those that stay open, on-the-job performance often plummets because of the season’s wild parties and high jinks. Although there is no precise data on absenteeism, according to Labor Department experts, industries like manufacturing and construction are likely to have lower productivity while retailing’s productivity is likely to increase.   Far from being “the season to be jolly,” Christmas is really the season of sadness and despair. This period’s compulsory merriment, hypercommercialism, heavy drinking, and undue media emphasis on the idealized, two-child, two-parent, orthodox Christian family makes those who don’t share such lifestyles or religious sentiments feel left out, lonely, and even somewhat un-American. And even in so-called normal families, media hype about the season’s merriments often raises expectations and sets up many for disappointment. According to Dr. Quita Mullen, a psychiatrist in Boston, many women in particular exhaust themselves trying to meet both the demands of full-time jobs and the more traditional expectations about what holidays are supposed to be like—provided in part by their (non-working) mothers. There is also a great deal of emotional stress associated with compulsory overspending and compulsory displays of affection. (Many people reportedly become highly anxious at the sight of mistletoe.) Police, psychiatrists, and hospitals all report that there is a dramatic rise in alcoholic “slips,” drug overdoses, domestic quarrels, hotline calls, and emergency medical calls at this time of year. “Any redolent setting can be very sad for people who don’t have a dancing partner,” says Mullen. “Christmas is one of those times.” Christmas is one of the most hazardous times of the year. The combination of trees, lights, blazing hearths, yuletide passion, and other indoor festivities results in more household fires at this time of year than any other. The fire department in Washington, D.C., reports that fire calls in December are 40 percent above its monthly average; New York City had 2,800 residential fires last December, as compared with a 2,000-per-month average.   According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, December is the peak month for drunk driving and “DWI” arrests, which last year totaled 1.8 million. Not surprisingly, it is also the peak month for accidents—because of drunkenness, congestion, and bad weather—with more than 460,000 last year, compared with a monthly average of only 386,000. In just the three days around Christmas last year, 374 people died on the nation’s highways. The only consolation is that last year’s Thanksgiving was even worse, with 402 deaths. Of course, weather is a compounding factor—for most of us in the colder climes, life would be much easier if we could at least agree to observe Christmas in the summer, when the lutefisk is ripe. December is also the peak month in the United States for robberies. Last year the number reached about 54,000, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, and it is the second highest for auto theft, with about 136,000. Police suspect that all this property crime is because criminals too are propelled by the need to fill their family stockings. December 1989 had nearly 1,900 murders, a disproportionate share. “Christmas is a crazy season,’’ says Sag Harbor, New York, Police Chief Joseph Ialacci. “It’s a potpourri of emotional extremes—either quiet or all hell breaks loose. There are more assaults, barroom brawls, and family altercations.” Excessive eating and drinking are used to compensate for the tribulations of Christmas. According to the Distilled Spirits Council and the Department of Agriculture, in the six short weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, this year we will consume $18 billion of alcohol—including 81 million gallons of hard liquor—1.1 billion pounds of turkey, and a huge quantity of ham, cookies, pies, eggnog, stuffing, plum pudding, and other trimmings. All this indulgence does little good for the nation’s waistline: Christmas is one of the single most important contributors to obesity—the average American consumes more than 3,500 calories at Christmas Day dinner alone. Naturally, January is the peak month for diet plans, many of which end up in failure and despair.   Perhaps most important of all, from a purely distributional standpoint, Christmas almost certainly aggravates inequality, since most gift-giving takes place within the family or the same social class, and doesn’t reach the people who really need our help. Salvation Army drum-beating aside, Christmas almost certainly reduces our capacity for charity by draining us of wealth that we might otherwise give to the needy, and of our charitable impulses. This is hardly what the person for whom the holiday is named had in mind. Overall, the message is clear: Christmas imposes a huge efficiency tax on our economy, is hazardous to our health and safety, and does little to further social justice. And the efficiency tax may well be growing in real terms—an analysis of long-term changes in the seasonality of the U.S. economy suggests that the Christmas buying season has been getting longer and longer. Christmas commercialism, of course, is a modern innovation. The ancient Christians did not even observe the holiday until the fifth century, medieval Christians observed it much more modestly, and the Puritans sensibly refused to celebrate it at all. Only in the last fifty years, with the perfection of mass-market advertising and the commercialization of religion in general, has it become such a command performance. Modern Christmas is like primitive Keynesianism, a short-run-oriented economic experiment that has been tried and found wanting. It is the flipside of the positive contribution the “Protestant ethic” once made to capitalism—Christianity’s high holiday now almost certainly makes us feel worse off. What is to be done? I suggest an experimental two- to three-year moratorium on the whole affair, to let us pay our bills and recover some of the distance we’ve lost. This may sound like tough medicine to youngsters, and to all the other interest groups that have acquired such large commercial stakes in this annual ritual—from bulb manufacturers to ambulance drivers. But the rest of us can no longer afford it. If we celebrate this holiday at all, we should do so mainly because it is over for at least one more year.
Why I Hate Christmas
https://newrepublic.com/article/115994/reasons-why-christmas-terrible-holiday
https://holidappy.com/holidays/Top-10-Reasons-Why-I-Love-Christmas
Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical!
2012-12-04
Cristale Adams
<div><div><h2>The Real Meaning of a Magical Christmas</h2><p>Christmas is the most widely observed holiday worldwide and is sometimes referred to as <em>Christ's Mass</em>. This is a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, which took place between 7 and 2 BC. According to the Gregorian calendar, the original date for observing and celebrating Jesus' birth was January 7th. However, in the modern era, over 2 billion people celebrate this holiday on December 25th of each year.</p><p>Evidence states that on<em> "the day of Jesus Christ's birth, there were angels, shepherds, and people from other countries that traveled to see the newly born baby boy. They followed the North Star as a navigation tool to locate baby Jesus. As he lay in a manger with Mary and Joseph by his side, the traveling guests arrived bearing gifts for the child. Some did not have physical gifts for the newborn baby Jesus, so they played music instead."</em></p><h2>Linus Will Explain</h2><h2>Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical!</h2><p>There are many different reasons why Christmas is more magical, from the obvious to the not-so-obvious. This holiday season is the most unique of its kind and is extremely popular with adults and children.</p><p>Most people are celebrating this holiday earlier each year, with Christmas trees being put up as early as Halloween. There is always a Christmas magic in the air that begins at the beginning of December and will linger until New Year's Eve.</p><p>Below is a list of the top 7 reasons why Christmas is magical. Are you ready to get started? Great! Let's dive right in!</p><h2>1. The True Meaning of Christmas Is Love</h2><p>The first reason why Christmas is magical really isn't about decorating, parties, or gift-giving. Since the true and real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus, who is love, then the real meaning of Christmas is love.</p><p>Christmas is about doing nice things for family, friends, and even strangers. It's also about the love, peace, and joy that make this season so special. Studies have proven that many people are kinder, empathetic, generous, and compassionate during Christmas because it's the most wonderful time of the year!</p><div><figure><figcaption><p>Remember the reason for the season!</p><p><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=jesus+and+santa&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjlu5CmxtT8AhW4L94AHan-BAgQ2-cCegQIABAA&amp;oq=jesus+and+santa&amp;gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIABCABBAYMgcIA">Literate Ape</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><h2>2. A Decorated Christmas Tree Is Very Magical</h2><p>Since the real meaning of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, there are many Christmas traditions that represent this fact. The American Christmas tree traditions that represent the real meaning of Christmas include:</p><ul><li><strong><em>The Christmas tree</em> </strong>represents the world during the time of Jesus's birth<em>. </em>It is usually an evergreen conifer (i.e., spruce, pine, or fur). The tree can also be artificial, meaning it's made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In most cases, the tree is decorated with festive lights, garlands, bulbs, and other Christmas décor.</li>
<li><strong><em>Lights</em> </strong>that decorate the tree represent stars that brightened the world during Jesus' birth.</li>
<li><strong><em>The bulbs</em> </strong>that decorate the Christmas tree represent the villages that existed during Jesus' birth. Shepherds and people who lived in those villages traveled near and far to visit the newborn baby Jesus.</li>
<li><em><strong>The star on top of the tree</strong> </em>represents the earth's largest star, called the North Star. The North Star is what guided the shepherds and people to the place where Jesus was born so they could see him and bring him gifts.</li>
<li><strong><em>The presents under the tree</em></strong><em> </em>represent items brought by the local natives to baby Jesus after his birth.<em></em></li>
</ul><div><figure><figcaption><p>Nothing says Christmas like a lit tree!</p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-tree">Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><h2>3. Christmas Snow Is Always Magical!</h2><p>Snow and the magic of Christmas go hand-in-hand. The cold weather and snow are how the Earth cleanses itself for a new year and life via death or hibernation. Playing in the snow is very fun; start with a snowball fight or build a snowman!</p><p>The snow looks amazing during the day or at night, as it glistens in the light like white diamonds. The snow also brings a cold breeze with a special chill in the air that can only be experienced during Christmas. This may (or may not) be accompanied by a sweet aroma. There's nothing like going outside on Christmas morning with the smell of fresh Christmas snow and fireplaces burning. It is a great feeling and makes Christmas even better.</p><div><figure><figcaption><p>The snow brings a certain magic to the air.</p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-snow">Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><div><p><h2>Recommended</h2></p></div><h2>4. Yum, Christmas Treats Are the Sweetest</h2><p>Christmas treats make the season much more magical. This is when most people's diet and discipline take a vacation. Treats are the sweetest during Christmas because of the special once-a-year decorations, flavors, and spices. Unique scents and aromas fill the air as candy and sugar sales increase. Some of the sweetest treats for Christmas include:</p><ul><li>Spiced/spiked eggnog with cookies</li>
<li>Rice crispy treats with chocolate candy pieces</li>
<li>Cakes and cupcakes with colorful frosting and sprinkles</li>
<li>Homemade pies, like pumpkin and sweet potato.</li>
</ul><div><figure><figcaption><p>The Holiday season is always filled with yummy desserts.</p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-desserts">Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><h2>5. A Christmas Dinner Celebration Is a Magical Ending</h2><p>This elaborate holiday feast only happens once a year and is the most memorable dinner of the year (aside from Thanksgiving, of course). There are always traditional Christmas dishes prepared using seasonal recipes, and the leftovers are popular lunches during the week after. Many people will spend hours (and sometimes days) in the kitchen preparing for a Christmas dinner. Some of the most common foods for Christmas dinner are:</p><ul><li>Turkey or ham, baked all day in the oven.</li>
<li>Mashed potatoes with gravy, using juices from the turkey or ham.</li>
<li>Stuffing, either homemade or out of a box.</li>
<li>Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecan nuts.</li>
<li>Green bean casserole, topped with fried onion.</li>
<li>Dinner rolls topped with melted butter.</li>
<li>Cranberry sauce, cold and sliced.</li>
<li>Pies, cakes, and cookies that were made with love.</li>
</ul><div><figure><figcaption><p>Christmas dinner is the BEST dinner!</p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-food">Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><h2>6. A Kiss Under the Mistletoe, Mwuah!</h2><p>The history of <a href="https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Magic-of-Mistletoe">mistletoe </a>can be traced back to the ancient Greeks when they would reconcile differences by kissing under the mistletoe. Kissing under the mistletoe during a holiday first began during the festival of Saturnalia, celebrated on December 17th to commemorate the year of work, and later in marriage ceremonies. The mistletoe is a parasite that will attach itself to a host, such as a tree or a plant. It absorbs all the nutrients, water, and sunlight until the host eventually dies.</p><p>Many varieties of mistletoe are poisonous, and ingesting their toxic white berries is known to cause a variety of stomach problems. For this reason, some poison control centers send out "holiday safety" fliers every year to avoid mistletoe incidents.</p><p>Mistletoe is a relative of sandalwood. But unlike sandalwood, its seeds are dispersed by berry-eating birds, allowing the plant to grow on branches high above the shade (freeloading on other trees' sunlight). Since mistletoe can be harmful, it is best to admire its beauty from afar.</p><h2>7. Christmas Candles Smell Magical</h2><p>The different scents of the season always remind me of when I was a child, waiting for Christmas morning. Candles are an important aspect of Christmas, but the scented ones are unique. Many of them smell like Christmas, from the scent of the tree to the aroma of goodies baking.</p><p>These candles are also available in a variety of colors, like deep green and bright red. Having some scented candles burning all day for Christmas Day can help brighten the spirit since smells affect the brain and memories. These candles are usually only sold during Christmas time! Some examples of the best Christmas-scented candles are:</p><ul><li>Pine or fern</li>
<li>Cranberry</li>
<li>Apples with cinnamon</li>
</ul><div><figure><figcaption><p>The Christmas candles are super special.</p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/candles">Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash</a></p></figcaption></figure></div><h2>Fun Facts About Christmas!</h2><p><em>This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.</em></p><p><strong>© 2012 Cristale Adams</strong></p><p><strong>Cristale Adams (author)</strong> from USA on January 10, 2019:</p><p>Thank you for reading! I hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas.</p><p><strong>Cristale Adams (author)</strong> from USA on January 10, 2019:</p><p>Thank you for reading!</p><p><strong>Victoria B</strong> on October 09, 2018:</p><p>Great article! I love how you said that Christmas is about celebrating our Savior, Jesus Christ. I totally agree. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday.</p><p><strong>Cristale Adams (author)</strong> from USA on October 08, 2018:</p><p>Thank you for reading and commenting on this article.</p><p><strong>kirtidv2006</strong> on September 26, 2018:</p><p>Beautifully explained. People are generally happy during christmas.</p><p><strong>Ras Bahadur Rai</strong> from Kapan Kathmandu Nepal on September 03, 2018:</p><p>nice</p><p><strong>Cristale Adams (author)</strong> from USA on March 02, 2018:</p><p>Thank you for reading and commenting. My goal was to bring back those childhood memories and aromas from Christmases past.</p><p><strong>Deborah Nessmith</strong> from Florida on December 07, 2016:</p><p>Well-written post. I love Christmas time, as a child we used to have Christmas parties at my grandmother's house before she past away. I can still remember the smells of cakes and pies baking for our Christmas dinner. However, those days are long past and the big family celebration has dwindled down to immediate family only. Although it's nice to celebrate with my siblings and parents, nieces and nephews; I miss the days of spending time with all my family.</p><p><strong>peachy</strong> from Home Sweet Home on November 18, 2014:</p><p>i love christmas but never get to celebrate it after I was married</p><p><strong>Joytotheworld</strong> on November 04, 2014:</p><p>Christmas really is a huge part of life. My memories of childhood and why I love this life so dearly largely revolve around Christmas. There is so much bad on the world. Christmas is a time to be kind to one another and to just be joyful and happy. The smell of a Christmas tree will always make me smile and close my eyes, feeling the warmth and coziness of years past.</p><p><strong>Martin Kloess</strong> from San Francisco on December 04, 2012:</p><p>Thank you for sharing you thoughts on Christmas.</p><p><strong>Jasmin</strong> from United Kingdom on December 04, 2012:</p><p>Lovely hub, christmas is by far my favorite time of the year! Did you mean to leave out Christmas in the poll :\ x</p></div></div>||||I||||Skip to main content
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 Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical!

 * Author:
 Cristale Adams
 * Updated:
 Feb 29, 2024 1:38 PM EST

 'Tis the season for magic!

 Photo by Yuganov Konstantin; Canva

 The Real Meaning of a Magical Christmas

 Christmas is the most widely observed holiday worldwide and is sometimes referred to as Christ's Mass. This is a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, which took place between 7 and 2 BC. According to the Gregorian calendar, the original date for observing and celebrating Jesus' birth was January 7th. However, in the modern era, over 2 billion people celebrate this holiday on December 25th of each year.

 How to Celebrate Mother's Day When Your Mom Has Passed Away

 Janis Masyk-Jackson

 Evidence states that on "the day of Jesus Christ's birth, there were angels, shepherds, and people from other countries that traveled to see the newly born baby boy. They followed the North Star as a navigation tool to locate baby Jesus. As he lay in a manger with Mary and Joseph by his side, the traveling guests arrived bearing gifts for the child. Some did not have physical gifts for the newborn baby Jesus, so they played music instead."

 Linus Will Explain

 Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical!

 There are many different reasons why Christmas is more magical, from the obvious to the not-so-obvious. This holiday season is the most unique of its kind and is extremely popular with adults and children.

 Most people are celebrating this holiday earlier each year, with Christmas trees being put up as early as Halloween. There is always a Christmas magic in the air that begins at the beginning of December and will linger until New Year's Eve.

 Below is a list of the top 7 reasons why Christmas is magical. Are you ready to get started? Great! Let's dive right in!

 1. The True Meaning of Christmas Is Love

 The first reason why Christmas is magical really isn't about decorating, parties, or gift-giving. Since the true and real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus, who is love, then the real meaning of Christmas is love.

 Christmas is about doing nice things for family, friends, and even strangers. It's also about the love, peace, and joy that make this season so special. Studies have proven that many people are kinder, empathetic, generous, and compassionate during Christmas because it's the most wonderful time of the year!

 Remember the reason for the season!

 Literate Ape

 2. A Decorated Christmas Tree Is Very Magical

 Since the real meaning of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, there are many Christmas traditions that represent this fact. The American Christmas tree traditions that represent the real meaning of Christmas include:

 * The Christmas tree represents the world during the time of Jesus's birth. It is usually an evergreen conifer (i.e., spruce, pine, or fur). The tree can also be artificial, meaning it's made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In most cases, the tree is decorated with festive lights, garlands, bulbs, and other Christmas décor.
 * Lights that decorate the tree represent stars that brightened the world during Jesus' birth.
 * The bulbs that decorate the Christmas tree represent the villages that existed during Jesus' birth. Shepherds and people who lived in those villages traveled near and far to visit the newborn baby Jesus.
 * The star on top of the tree represents the earth's largest star, called the North Star. The North Star is what guided the shepherds and people to the place where Jesus was born so they could see him and bring him gifts.
 * The presents under the tree represent items brought by the local natives to baby Jesus after his birth.

 Nothing says Christmas like a lit tree!

 Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash

 3. Christmas Snow Is Always Magical!

 Snow and the magic of Christmas go hand-in-hand. The cold weather and snow are how the Earth cleanses itself for a new year and life via death or hibernation. Playing in the snow is very fun; start with a snowball fight or build a snowman!

 The snow looks amazing during the day or at night, as it glistens in the light like white diamonds. The snow also brings a cold breeze with a special chill in the air that can only be experienced during Christmas. This may (or may not) be accompanied by a sweet aroma. There's nothing like going outside on Christmas morning with the smell of fresh Christmas snow and fireplaces burning. It is a great feeling and makes Christmas even better.

 The snow brings a certain magic to the air.

 Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

 Recommended

 How to Celebrate Mother's Day When Your Mom Has Passed Away

 4. Yum, Christmas Treats Are the Sweetest

 Christmas treats make the season much more magical. This is when most people's diet and discipline take a vacation. Treats are the sweetest during Christmas because of the special once-a-year decorations, flavors, and spices. Unique scents and aromas fill the air as candy and sugar sales increase. Some of the sweetest treats for Christmas include:

 * Spiced/spiked eggnog with cookies
 * Rice crispy treats with chocolate candy pieces
 * Cakes and cupcakes with colorful frosting and sprinkles
 * Homemade pies, like pumpkin and sweet potato.

 The Holiday season is always filled with yummy desserts.

 Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

 5. A Christmas Dinner Celebration Is a Magical Ending

 This elaborate holiday feast only happens once a year and is the most memorable dinner of the year (aside from Thanksgiving, of course). There are always traditional Christmas dishes prepared using seasonal recipes, and the leftovers are popular lunches during the week after. Many people will spend hours (and sometimes days) in the kitchen preparing for a Christmas dinner. Some of the most common foods for Christmas dinner are:

 * Turkey or ham, baked all day in the oven.
 * Mashed potatoes with gravy, using juices from the turkey or ham.
 * Stuffing, either homemade or out of a box.
 * Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecan nuts.
 * Green bean casserole, topped with fried onion.
 * Dinner rolls topped with melted butter.
 * Cranberry sauce, cold and sliced.
 * Pies, cakes, and cookies that were made with love.

 Christmas dinner is the BEST dinner!

 Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

 6. A Kiss Under the Mistletoe, Mwuah!

 The history of mistletoe can be traced back to the ancient Greeks when they would reconcile differences by kissing under the mistletoe. Kissing under the mistletoe during a holiday first began during the festival of Saturnalia, celebrated on December 17th to commemorate the year of work, and later in marriage ceremonies. The mistletoe is a parasite that will attach itself to a host, such as a tree or a plant. It absorbs all the nutrients, water, and sunlight until the host eventually dies.

 Many varieties of mistletoe are poisonous, and ingesting their toxic white berries is known to cause a variety of stomach problems. For this reason, some poison control centers send out "holiday safety" fliers every year to avoid mistletoe incidents.

 Mistletoe is a relative of sandalwood. But unlike sandalwood, its seeds are dispersed by berry-eating birds, allowing the plant to grow on branches high above the shade (freeloading on other trees' sunlight). Since mistletoe can be harmful, it is best to admire its beauty from afar.

 Meet me under the mistletoe?

 Photo by Paul Zoetemeijer on Unsplash

 7. Christmas Candles Smell Magical

 The different scents of the season always remind me of when I was a child, waiting for Christmas morning. Candles are an important aspect of Christmas, but the scented ones are unique. Many of them smell like Christmas, from the scent of the tree to the aroma of goodies baking.

 These candles are also available in a variety of colors, like deep green and bright red. Having some scented candles burning all day for Christmas Day can help brighten the spirit since smells affect the brain and memories. These candles are usually only sold during Christmas time! Some examples of the best Christmas-scented candles are:

 * Pine or fern
 * Cranberry
 * Apples with cinnamon

 The Christmas candles are super special.

 Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash

 Fun Facts About Christmas!

 This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

 © 2012 Cristale Adams

 Comments

 Cristale Adams (author) from USA on January 10, 2019:

 Thank you for reading! I hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas.

 Cristale Adams (author) from USA on January 10, 2019:

 Thank you for reading!

 Victoria B on October 09, 2018:

 Great article! I love how you said that Christmas is about celebrating our Savior, Jesus Christ. I totally agree. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday.

 Cristale Adams (author) from USA on October 08, 2018:

 Thank you for reading and commenting on this article.

 kirtidv2006 on September 26, 2018:

 Beautifully explained. People are generally happy during christmas.

 Ras Bahadur Rai from Kapan Kathmandu Nepal on September 03, 2018:

 nice

 Cristale Adams (author) from USA on March 02, 2018:

 Thank you for reading and commenting. My goal was to bring back those childhood memories and aromas from Christmases past.

 Deborah Nessmith from Florida on December 07, 2016:

 Well-written post. I love Christmas time, as a child we used to have Christmas parties at my grandmother's house before she past away. I can still remember the smells of cakes and pies baking for our Christmas dinner. However, those days are long past and the big family celebration has dwindled down to immediate family only. Although it's nice to celebrate with my siblings and parents, nieces and nephews; I miss the days of spending time with all my family.

 peachy from Home Sweet Home on November 18, 2014:

 i love christmas but never get to celebrate it after I was married

 Joytotheworld on November 04, 2014:

 Christmas really is a huge part of life. My memories of childhood and why I love this life so dearly largely revolve around Christmas. There is so much bad on the world. Christmas is a time to be kind to one another and to just be joyful and happy. The smell of a Christmas tree will always make me smile and close my eyes, feeling the warmth and coziness of years past.

 Martin Kloess from San Francisco on December 04, 2012:

 Thank you for sharing you thoughts on Christmas.

 Jasmin from United Kingdom on December 04, 2012:

 Lovely hub, christmas is by far my favorite time of the year! Did you mean to leave out Christmas in the poll :\ x

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The Real Meaning of a Magical Christmas Christmas is the most widely observed holiday worldwide and is sometimes referred to as Christ's Mass. This is a special day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, which took place between 7 and 2 BC. According to the Gregorian calendar, the original date for observing and celebrating Jesus' birth was January 7th. However, in the modern era, over 2 billion people celebrate this holiday on December 25th of each year. Evidence states that on "the day of Jesus Christ's birth, there were angels, shepherds, and people from other countries that traveled to see the newly born baby boy. They followed the North Star as a navigation tool to locate baby Jesus. As he lay in a manger with Mary and Joseph by his side, the traveling guests arrived bearing gifts for the child. Some did not have physical gifts for the newborn baby Jesus, so they played music instead."  Linus Will Explain Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical! There are many different reasons why Christmas is more magical, from the obvious to the not-so-obvious. This holiday season is the most unique of its kind and is extremely popular with adults and children. Most people are celebrating this holiday earlier each year, with Christmas trees being put up as early as Halloween. There is always a Christmas magic in the air that begins at the beginning of December and will linger until New Year's Eve. Below is a list of the top 7 reasons why Christmas is magical. Are you ready to get started? Great! Let's dive right in! 1. The True Meaning of Christmas Is Love The first reason why Christmas is magical really isn't about decorating, parties, or gift-giving. Since the true and real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus, who is love, then the real meaning of Christmas is love. Christmas is about doing nice things for family, friends, and even strangers. It's also about the love, peace, and joy that make this season so special. Studies have proven that many people are kinder, empathetic, generous, and compassionate during Christmas because it's the most wonderful time of the year!    Remember the reason for the season!  Literate Ape     2. A Decorated Christmas Tree Is Very Magical Since the real meaning of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, there are many Christmas traditions that represent this fact. The American Christmas tree traditions that represent the real meaning of Christmas include:    The Christmas tree represents the world during the time of Jesus's birth. It is usually an evergreen conifer (i.e., spruce, pine, or fur). The tree can also be artificial, meaning it's made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In most cases, the tree is decorated with festive lights, garlands, bulbs, and other Christmas décor.
  Lights that decorate the tree represent stars that brightened the world during Jesus' birth.
  The bulbs that decorate the Christmas tree represent the villages that existed during Jesus' birth. Shepherds and people who lived in those villages traveled near and far to visit the newborn baby Jesus.
  The star on top of the tree represents the earth's largest star, called the North Star. The North Star is what guided the shepherds and people to the place where Jesus was born so they could see him and bring him gifts.
  The presents under the tree   represent items brought by the local natives to baby Jesus after his birth.  
    Nothing says Christmas like a lit tree!  Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash     3. Christmas Snow Is Always Magical! Snow and the magic of Christmas go hand-in-hand. The cold weather and snow are how the Earth cleanses itself for a new year and life via death or hibernation. Playing in the snow is very fun; start with a snowball fight or build a snowman! The snow looks amazing during the day or at night, as it glistens in the light like white diamonds. The snow also brings a cold breeze with a special chill in the air that can only be experienced during Christmas. This may (or may not) be accompanied by a sweet aroma. There's nothing like going outside on Christmas morning with the smell of fresh Christmas snow and fireplaces burning. It is a great feeling and makes Christmas even better.    The snow brings a certain magic to the air.  Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash       Recommended   4. Yum, Christmas Treats Are the Sweetest Christmas treats make the season much more magical. This is when most people's diet and discipline take a vacation. Treats are the sweetest during Christmas because of the special once-a-year decorations, flavors, and spices. Unique scents and aromas fill the air as candy and sugar sales increase. Some of the sweetest treats for Christmas include:  Spiced/spiked eggnog with cookies
Rice crispy treats with chocolate candy pieces
Cakes and cupcakes with colorful frosting and sprinkles
Homemade pies, like pumpkin and sweet potato.
    The Holiday season is always filled with yummy desserts.  Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash     5. A Christmas Dinner Celebration Is a Magical Ending This elaborate holiday feast only happens once a year and is the most memorable dinner of the year (aside from Thanksgiving, of course). There are always traditional Christmas dishes prepared using seasonal recipes, and the leftovers are popular lunches during the week after. Many people will spend hours (and sometimes days) in the kitchen preparing for a Christmas dinner. Some of the most common foods for Christmas dinner are:  Turkey or ham, baked all day in the oven.
Mashed potatoes with gravy, using juices from the turkey or ham.
Stuffing, either homemade or out of a box.
Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecan nuts.
Green bean casserole, topped with fried onion.
Dinner rolls topped with melted butter.
Cranberry sauce, cold and sliced.
Pies, cakes, and cookies that were made with love.
    Christmas dinner is the BEST dinner!  Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash     6. A Kiss Under the Mistletoe, Mwuah! The history of mistletoe can be traced back to the ancient Greeks when they would reconcile differences by kissing under the mistletoe. Kissing under the mistletoe during a holiday first began during the festival of Saturnalia, celebrated on December 17th to commemorate the year of work, and later in marriage ceremonies. The mistletoe is a parasite that will attach itself to a host, such as a tree or a plant. It absorbs all the nutrients, water, and sunlight until the host eventually dies. Many varieties of mistletoe are poisonous, and ingesting their toxic white berries is known to cause a variety of stomach problems. For this reason, some poison control centers send out "holiday safety" fliers every year to avoid mistletoe incidents. Mistletoe is a relative of sandalwood. But unlike sandalwood, its seeds are dispersed by berry-eating birds, allowing the plant to grow on branches high above the shade (freeloading on other trees' sunlight). Since mistletoe can be harmful, it is best to admire its beauty from afar. 7. Christmas Candles Smell Magical The different scents of the season always remind me of when I was a child, waiting for Christmas morning. Candles are an important aspect of Christmas, but the scented ones are unique. Many of them smell like Christmas, from the scent of the tree to the aroma of goodies baking. These candles are also available in a variety of colors, like deep green and bright red. Having some scented candles burning all day for Christmas Day can help brighten the spirit since smells affect the brain and memories. These candles are usually only sold during Christmas time! Some examples of the best Christmas-scented candles are:  Pine or fern
Cranberry
Apples with cinnamon
    The Christmas candles are super special.  Photo by Max Beck on Unsplash     Fun Facts About Christmas!  This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.   © 2012 Cristale Adams   Cristale Adams (author) from USA on January 10, 2019: Thank you for reading! I hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas.  Cristale Adams (author) from USA on January 10, 2019: Thank you for reading!  Victoria B on October 09, 2018: Great article! I love how you said that Christmas is about celebrating our Savior, Jesus Christ. I totally agree. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday.  Cristale Adams (author) from USA on October 08, 2018: Thank you for reading and commenting on this article.  kirtidv2006 on September 26, 2018: Beautifully explained. People are generally happy during christmas.  Ras Bahadur Rai from Kapan Kathmandu Nepal on September 03, 2018: nice  Cristale Adams (author) from USA on March 02, 2018: Thank you for reading and commenting. My goal was to bring back those childhood memories and aromas from Christmases past.  Deborah Nessmith from Florida on December 07, 2016: Well-written post. I love Christmas time, as a child we used to have Christmas parties at my grandmother's house before she past away. I can still remember the smells of cakes and pies baking for our Christmas dinner. However, those days are long past and the big family celebration has dwindled down to immediate family only. Although it's nice to celebrate with my siblings and parents, nieces and nephews; I miss the days of spending time with all my family.  peachy from Home Sweet Home on November 18, 2014: i love christmas but never get to celebrate it after I was married  Joytotheworld on November 04, 2014: Christmas really is a huge part of life. My memories of childhood and why I love this life so dearly largely revolve around Christmas. There is so much bad on the world. Christmas is a time to be kind to one another and to just be joyful and happy. The smell of a Christmas tree will always make me smile and close my eyes, feeling the warmth and coziness of years past.  Martin Kloess from San Francisco on December 04, 2012: Thank you for sharing you thoughts on Christmas.  Jasmin from United Kingdom on December 04, 2012: Lovely hub, christmas is by far my favorite time of the year! Did you mean to leave out Christmas in the poll :\ x
Top Seven Reasons Why Christmas Is Magical!
https://holidappy.com/holidays/Top-10-Reasons-Why-I-Love-Christmas
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/approachingjustice/2013/12/23/believing-in-santa-claus-faith-and-social-justice/
Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice
2013-12-23
Approaching Justice; Chris Henrichsen
<div><p>Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice
	December 23, 2013
	Chris Henrichsen</p><div>
	
<p>I believe in Santa Claus. </p>
<p>He is not real, but he has spiritual significance for me. In this way, Santa is like Job. I do not think that Job was a real person, but I do think that Job is one of of the most powerful books of the Bible. Symbolism is very powerful.</p>
<figure><a href="https://wp-media.patheos.com/blogs/faithpromotingrumor/files/2012/12/1984-xmas-present.jpg"></a><figcaption>The Ghost of Christmas Present</figcaption></figure>
<p>Watching <em>A Christmas Carol</em> (the George C. Scott version…of course), I realized that, for me, Santa Clause is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Now, I am not an expert on Dickens, but I have always loved this story and I have grown to appreciate it even more in recent years.</p>
<p>The Ghost of Christmas Present (GCP) focuses on two things: the merriment which we have as family and friends at during the holidays. This is symbolized by the joy which nephew Fred has with his wife and friends. It is also symbolized by the joy which the Cratchit family has despite the their poverty and worry about tiny Tim. Yet, they are together.</p>
<p>I love the social part of Christmas. I ALSO LOVE THE PRESENTS! I love watching my children open their presents. I love going out with my wife in November and December looking for gifts that will be perfect for our three children. Like my daughter Geneva (8), I am also very excited that grandma and grandpa are coming down from Utah today.</p>
<p>The GCP also draws attention to those who are suffering. Not only are they suffering at Christmas, they are suffering while Scrooge has much. He also introduces this suffering to Scrooge to show the cruelty of his own comments about the poor and disadvantaged. Ebenezer Scrooge is the embodiment of 19th century Social Darwinism. Christmas is the cure for this vile outlook. For me, the Santa part of Christmas is as much part of that cure as the religious part of Christmas.</p>
<p>What does this all have to do with Santa? Santa Claus is the symbol of holiday cheer and giving. While he has become a symbol of Christmas consumerism, it is not Santa Claus that is the problem. Our society is the problem. <em>We are the problem.</em> It is our greed that is the problem. If we make Christmas about others, then we can make Christmas…and Santa…a force for social justice.</p>
<p>Santa has also been given the God role of deciding who is good and who is bad. I reject this view of Santa…much in the way that I reject this view of God. I have no interest in making Santa an all knowing figure who may condemn us with coal in our stocking. Even if it is Wyoming coal.</p>
<p>Like the story of Job, I think that the meaning and principles, not the myth itself, is what we should preserve. The best part about my children getting older is that the older ones now get to be part of the fun. They know that Santa does not come down the chimney (and we actually have one this year). However, they now realize the joys that can come from being Santa in the lives of others…particularly their little sister.</p>
<p>In reclaiming Santa, we can reclaim faith in the sense of community and faith which binds us together at what is a cold and difficult time of the year. He is about giving to family and friends, He is about connecting with our fellow humans. Now we could probably do these things without the symbol of Santa Claus, but I think that symbols are useful in bringing us together. They are also worth fighting for.</p>
<p>Does Santa distract from the Christian themes of Christmas? If you fight for the Cratchits and the family living under the viaduct, you understand Him who came. That is what Santa Claus does. That is what Jesus Christ has taught us to do. Go and do likewise.</p>
<p>Who will you be this year? Ebenezer Scrooge or Santa Claus?</p>
<p>After all, even Ebenezer Scrooge changed his ways.</p>
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 Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice

 December 23, 2013 by Chris Henrichsen
 0 Comments
 Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice December 23, 2013 Chris Henrichsen
 Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

 I believe in Santa Claus.

 He is not real, but he has spiritual significance for me. In this way, Santa is like Job. I do not think that Job was a real person, but I do think that Job is one of of the most powerful books of the Bible. Symbolism is very powerful.

 The Ghost of Christmas Present

 Watching A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version…of course), I realized that, for me, Santa Clause is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Now, I am not an expert on Dickens, but I have always loved this story and I have grown to appreciate it even more in recent years.

 The Ghost of Christmas Present (GCP) focuses on two things: the merriment which we have as family and friends at during the holidays. This is symbolized by the joy which nephew Fred has with his wife and friends. It is also symbolized by the joy which the Cratchit family has despite the their poverty and worry about tiny Tim. Yet, they are together.

 I love the social part of Christmas. I ALSO LOVE THE PRESENTS! I love watching my children open their presents. I love going out with my wife in November and December looking for gifts that will be perfect for our three children. Like my daughter Geneva (8), I am also very excited that grandma and grandpa are coming down from Utah today.

 The GCP also draws attention to those who are suffering. Not only are they suffering at Christmas, they are suffering while Scrooge has much. He also introduces this suffering to Scrooge to show the cruelty of his own comments about the poor and disadvantaged. Ebenezer Scrooge is the embodiment of 19th century Social Darwinism. Christmas is the cure for this vile outlook. For me, the Santa part of Christmas is as much part of that cure as the religious part of Christmas.

 What does this all have to do with Santa? Santa Claus is the symbol of holiday cheer and giving. While he has become a symbol of Christmas consumerism, it is not Santa Claus that is the problem. Our society is the problem. We are the problem. It is our greed that is the problem. If we make Christmas about others, then we can make Christmas…and Santa…a force for social justice.

 Santa has also been given the God role of deciding who is good and who is bad. I reject this view of Santa…much in the way that I reject this view of God. I have no interest in making Santa an all knowing figure who may condemn us with coal in our stocking. Even if it is Wyoming coal.

 Like the story of Job, I think that the meaning and principles, not the myth itself, is what we should preserve. The best part about my children getting older is that the older ones now get to be part of the fun. They know that Santa does not come down the chimney (and we actually have one this year). However, they now realize the joys that can come from being Santa in the lives of others…particularly their little sister.

 In reclaiming Santa, we can reclaim faith in the sense of community and faith which binds us together at what is a cold and difficult time of the year. He is about giving to family and friends, He is about connecting with our fellow humans. Now we could probably do these things without the symbol of Santa Claus, but I think that symbols are useful in bringing us together. They are also worth fighting for.

 Does Santa distract from the Christian themes of Christmas? If you fight for the Cratchits and the family living under the viaduct, you understand Him who came. That is what Santa Claus does. That is what Jesus Christ has taught us to do. Go and do likewise.

 Who will you be this year? Ebenezer Scrooge or Santa Claus?

 After all, even Ebenezer Scrooge changed his ways.

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Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice
	December 23, 2013
	Chris Henrichsen 
	
I believe in Santa Claus. 
He is not real, but he has spiritual significance for me. In this way, Santa is like Job. I do not think that Job was a real person, but I do think that Job is one of of the most powerful books of the Bible. Symbolism is very powerful.
   The Ghost of Christmas Present 
Watching A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version…of course), I realized that, for me, Santa Clause is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Now, I am not an expert on Dickens, but I have always loved this story and I have grown to appreciate it even more in recent years.
The Ghost of Christmas Present (GCP) focuses on two things: the merriment which we have as family and friends at during the holidays. This is symbolized by the joy which nephew Fred has with his wife and friends. It is also symbolized by the joy which the Cratchit family has despite the their poverty and worry about tiny Tim. Yet, they are together.
I love the social part of Christmas. I ALSO LOVE THE PRESENTS! I love watching my children open their presents. I love going out with my wife in November and December looking for gifts that will be perfect for our three children. Like my daughter Geneva (8), I am also very excited that grandma and grandpa are coming down from Utah today.
The GCP also draws attention to those who are suffering. Not only are they suffering at Christmas, they are suffering while Scrooge has much. He also introduces this suffering to Scrooge to show the cruelty of his own comments about the poor and disadvantaged. Ebenezer Scrooge is the embodiment of 19th century Social Darwinism. Christmas is the cure for this vile outlook. For me, the Santa part of Christmas is as much part of that cure as the religious part of Christmas.
What does this all have to do with Santa? Santa Claus is the symbol of holiday cheer and giving. While he has become a symbol of Christmas consumerism, it is not Santa Claus that is the problem. Our society is the problem. We are the problem. It is our greed that is the problem. If we make Christmas about others, then we can make Christmas…and Santa…a force for social justice.
Santa has also been given the God role of deciding who is good and who is bad. I reject this view of Santa…much in the way that I reject this view of God. I have no interest in making Santa an all knowing figure who may condemn us with coal in our stocking. Even if it is Wyoming coal.
Like the story of Job, I think that the meaning and principles, not the myth itself, is what we should preserve. The best part about my children getting older is that the older ones now get to be part of the fun. They know that Santa does not come down the chimney (and we actually have one this year). However, they now realize the joys that can come from being Santa in the lives of others…particularly their little sister.
In reclaiming Santa, we can reclaim faith in the sense of community and faith which binds us together at what is a cold and difficult time of the year. He is about giving to family and friends, He is about connecting with our fellow humans. Now we could probably do these things without the symbol of Santa Claus, but I think that symbols are useful in bringing us together. They are also worth fighting for.
Does Santa distract from the Christian themes of Christmas? If you fight for the Cratchits and the family living under the viaduct, you understand Him who came. That is what Santa Claus does. That is what Jesus Christ has taught us to do. Go and do likewise.
Who will you be this year? Ebenezer Scrooge or Santa Claus?
After all, even Ebenezer Scrooge changed his ways.
Believing in Santa Claus: Faith and Social Justice
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/approachingjustice/2013/12/23/believing-in-santa-claus-faith-and-social-justice/
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2020/12/20/how-i-want-to-celebrate-xmas/#comment-2074805
How I want to celebrate Xmas
2020-12-20
None
<div><div>
<article>
<header>
<p>
davidc1 says </p>
<p>
<time><a href="https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2020/12/20/how-i-want-to-celebrate-xmas/#comment-2074805">21 December 2020 at 11:46 am</a></time> </p>
</header>
<p>Over here in good old GB ,just realised we lost a Goodie ,a Python ,and a Bond ,among all the other deaths .<br />
Not too fond of xmas at the best of times ,can’t even be arsed to do a turkey dinner .<br />
One year my twin brother who has a learning disability came into the kitchen while i was basting the turkey,<br />
he said “Why Not Cut it Down The Middle and Don’t Bother With the Potato’s and Veg “,,think that might happen this year .</p>
</article>
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 This week, the bad science is from Gad Saad » « There are going to be multiple books written on the Trump response to the pandemic

 How I want to celebrate Xmas

 Oglaf

 Unfortunately, I’m going to be home alone in my house with my wife, and a) I don’t think she’ll cooperate, and b) she’d kick my butt.

 Oh, hey! The cat!

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 This week, the bad science is from Gad Saad » « There are going to be multiple books written on the Trump response to the pandemic
 * PZ Myers
 * 20 December 2020
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 Comments

 1. blf says

 20 December 2020 at 5:18 pm

 If Mary will “kick your butt” when she’s “not cooperating”, what happens when she does cooperate?

 2. whheydt says

 20 December 2020 at 5:20 pm

 Be careful of the cat. Cats are sharp at 5 out 6 ends.

 3. wajim says

 20 December 2020 at 6:12 pm

 At #2: And even #6 can be sharp, in its particular way

 4. Jaws says

 20 December 2020 at 6:17 pm

 Perhaps he was saying that the cat will kick his butt too? Especially when huuuuuuuuuungry at three in the morning?

 5. John Morales says

 20 December 2020 at 6:57 pm

 [ObPopRef]

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

 Celebrations
 Airing of Grievances, Feats of Strength, the aluminum pole, Festivus dinner, Festivus miracles

 6. davidc1 says

 21 December 2020 at 11:46 am

 Over here in good old GB ,just realised we lost a Goodie ,a Python ,and a Bond ,among all the other deaths .
 Not too fond of xmas at the best of times ,can’t even be arsed to do a turkey dinner .
 One year my twin brother who has a learning disability came into the kitchen while i was basting the turkey,
 he said “Why Not Cut it Down The Middle and Don’t Bother With the Potato’s and Veg “,,think that might happen this year .

 © 2014 - FreethoughtBlogs.com

davidc1 says 
 21 December 2020 at 11:46 am  
Over here in good old GB ,just realised we lost a Goodie ,a Python ,and a Bond ,among all the other deaths .
Not too fond of xmas at the best of times ,can’t even be arsed to do a turkey dinner .
One year my twin brother who has a learning disability came into the kitchen while i was basting the turkey,
he said “Why Not Cut it Down The Middle and Don’t Bother With the Potato’s and Veg “,,think that might happen this year .
How I want to celebrate Xmas
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2020/12/20/how-i-want-to-celebrate-xmas/