There are those who claim to be unaffected by the holiday season.  They are either lying or in deep denial.

Then there are those who don their red plaid hostess skirts at Thanksgiving and never look back, reveling in the giddy madcap spirit of it all like seven-year-olds at an all-you-can-eat candy buffet.

"Oh look!" cries my neighbor last night, clutching her ancient miniature poodle in its festive plaid sausage casing to her chest. The poor toothless creature, half blind and bald on his hindquarters pleads with me with his good eye to put him out of his misery.  "Oh LOOK, Pierre," my neighbor repeats, addressing him and me by way of blocking my escape to the elevator, "Look at this nice man all loaded down with CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND GOODIES."

What I am holding is my drycleaning, the day's mail -- bills and various mangled store sale flyers and cards and periodicals the mailman insists on forcing into a mailbox woefully inadequate to the task -- plus a six-pack of Diet Coke and a grocery bag of frozen dinner entrees and some canned goods, all of which hardly qualifies as seasonal fare, but I sense it would be pointless to pursue a clarification.  

"I absolutely ADORE this time of year!" the lady exclaims in a swooning sing-song tone, her eyes sparkling and slightly out of focus from the sheer joy of the season and possibly an extra helping of mulled wine, or a couple belts of Johnny Walker.  She smiles and nods about her in an approving fashion, glancing in the general direction of the pine boughs and gold bows with which the building management has adorned the lobby.  Her cheerful countenance darkens only slightly when she spies the small white plastic menorah positioned next to the poinsettia arrangement on the center hall table, but she hesitates only a moment, then gives a little shrug and nuzzles Pierre as if to suggest that nothing will dampen her spirits, tis the season auld lang syne let bygones be bygones and falalalala. 

I don't know about you, but I enjoy a good holiday as much as the next person, and I see no reason not to go along with the general merriment of this one, especially when it incorporates really ancient traditions like fruit cake and the Druidic worship of evergreens.  And let's be honest, even with misteltoe and human sacrifice the Winter Solstice must have been a fairly dull celebration before they added some decent music and presents, not to mention all the really big blockbuster movies opening Christmas Day. 

The trick of course is to keep it all in perspective.  Hang in there, be of good cheer, and make no important decisions until the new year. 

In other words, Keep Calm and Carry On.