The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy it while it lasts. People all across the country can feel the burning of yuletide joy in their collective souls. It began with a welcome feast; a meal large enough to fuel our cathartic trip to the mall. It ends with a drunken sea of debauchery in which perfect strangers are temporary lovers for a single second of New Year's bliss. It is a magical time, filled with the majesty of falling snow and the twinkle of Christmas lights hung in windows and strewn across the branches of those merry Christmas trees.

Thanksgiving has just passed ushering in the holiday season. A season that is rife with hope, joy, love and splurging. Thanksgiving is a sensible start to a season based around giving and thanking. Sitting around a dinner table with a massive spread of more than you can eat with family and friends and the warmth of togetherness is just the beginning of the happiest time of the year deserves. I always marvel at how lucky I am to be able to enjoy this and whereas I lament those less fortunate, I know this is the time of year they can receive the most help. It is the season of miracles.

There has been some debate the last few years about the religiosity of the season. Can you call it Christmas without offending some people? The answer is no. But, conversely, referring to it as Xmas is just as offensive. The battle over what is considered politically correct has marred the season. It is a season for all faiths and it should be celebrated as such.

We have a difficult time in America with the myriad faiths and finding a common ground. I believe Christmas is that common ground. A season that embodies the best parts of most major religions. Remember, Christmas is an amalgam of holidays from around the globe.

Christmas was born of a marriage of old-world Pagan holidays including Yule from Scandinavia, the German holiday observing Oden, Saturnalia and Juvenalia from the Roman Empire - the latter of which was celebrated on Dec. 25. Santa Claus, jolly old Saint Nick, one of the most storied characters in Christmas lore, can be traced back to ancient Turkey.

The incorporation of Christmas, e.g. turning Christmas into a business, is a reason some have become upset with the season. There is a belief stemming from some conservatives that the secularization of Christmas is weakening the moral fiber of America. Bill O'Riley, a vocal conservative and idiot, said in "What Christmas Controversy?", an article written for FoxNews.com, that "the importance (of) the Christmas controversy is that it has become the centerpiece (of) the culture war between traditional Americans and secular progressives." Never mind the syntactical errors, the idea that Christmas has become a battleground is untenable. It's Christmas.

Secularization and controversy are two words that should never be involved with Christmas. Christmas is not a place to do battle, it is a cherished season that should be enjoyed the world over regardless of ones own beliefs. It is a time when it seems that miracles can happen; as if they are born in the 25 days of December that mean so much to so many. I am fed up with the fact that Christmas has become an issue and not a fun time.

I remember the sleepless nights in anticipation of a new Nintendo game which turned out to be a sweater that I never wore or asked for. It was the best sleepless night ever. I miss that, so I am taking Christmas back. I even have a little mantra or jingle I sing. Not your traditional Christmas song, but it works. It goes a little something like this, sung to the tune of Justin Timberlake's single, Sexy Back: "I'm bringing Christmas back(yeah)/Those other Grinches don't know how to act(yeah)/If I don't like your gift, I'll take it back(yeah)/Or give it back next year in different wrap(yeah)." So, use this jingle when you feel your Christmas spirit is waning ... or don't. Either way, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.