What is best in holiday life?
By 
The 2022 winter holy festival season is starting to wind down in the U.S.
Although for the millions who celebrate, the Super Bowl is still several weeks away.
At any rate, it is a good time to reflect on your favorite part of whichever annual winterfest you celebrate because they are so important to humans. Across time and around the world people have responded to winter by saying “Bored now and there’s nothing to eat except nettles since the last of Grandpa went off. Time to sing and dance and set some stuff on fire so the sun will come back.”
I know “Seeing friends and family” is the Approved Answer to questions about the best part of the holiday season. But I’ve spent Christmas alone (accidentally the first time) and it is my considered opinion that solo Christmas fucking rocks. So if I’m being honest, the lights are my favorite. They’re the most charming part of the season and help compensate for the short days. Yes, it is dark most of the time but at least there’s something pretty to look at when the sun starts to set at 3 in the afternoon.
But as with all things, moderation is key. Displays that make the main drag in Vegas look subdued are the sign of a sad, attention-craving mind and I’m not a fan of those inflatable things that lie around like windblown t-shirt bags during the day. In fact, my favorite local display is one 6′ strand of small multicolored lights on the lowest branches of a towering southern magnolia and another over a spotted laurel that’s big enough to conceal a Toyota RAV4. It’s so minimalistic it seems sarcastic, and I appreciate that.
People who post off topic comments where enraged when The Grinch returned all the loot and think Ebeneezer Scrooge cucked out.
