Christmas. It’s the second time in only a month where you are contractually obligated to spend an extended period of time with your family. Perhaps two of the biggest family gatherings take place so close to the new year in order to rub salt in your wounds if the year was crappy, and for most people in 2016, that seems to be the case. But those fearing a repeat of the same dynamics of Thanksgiving should rest easy. Christmas is a whole new animal compared to the only holiday devoted to gluttony.
During Thanksgiving, you’re supposed to get drunk and argue with your loved ones over any and all political differences. It’s both understood and expected. Filters and belts come off, and diehard wall-supporters can duke it out with those still feeling the Bern. But in Christmas, any residue feelings tend to be hidden under a veneer of peace on earth and good will to men. Maybe all the tiring political discourse gets purged during November. Maybe families just resign each other to the horrors of the wrong side. Or maybe receiving presents from the opposing side softens the blow of the presence of their views.
The entertainment we sit around and watch changes with the seasons too. Like Thanksgiving, it is an American tradition to be captivated by grown adults in brightly dressed costumes moving a ball from one place to another. Depending on your family, collegiate or professional sports might feature prominently or solely as background noise, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a household, restaurant, or bar that did not at least flip a game on during the holidays. But while football is a staple for Thanksgiving, basketball rules the day on Christmas. Because NBA games are already broken up into smaller chunks than football games, people are more likely to justify watching those athletes for entertainment during a time when everyone is allegedly supposed to be with their families anyway. In any case, you are more likely to see a commercial showcasing LeBron in a Santa hat than Tom Brady while avoiding conversation.
However, the most significant difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas might be found outside the gatherings, not within them. Driving around to look at lights is common in December, but is unheard of in the preceding month. Having over-the-top decorations is acceptable, and even celebrated during Christmas. But excessive celebration and inflatables during Thanksgiving are only allowed during the Macy’s Parade. Any other time during Turkey Day will earn you disdain if not outright fear from the neighbors. Christmas, on the other hand, allows the overly festive and competitive alike an outlet to express themselves in all their neon and nativity-related glory.
So in whatever physical and/or mental state you find yourself in this Christmas, take solace in the fact that the holiday most conducive to confrontation is over. Turn a blind eye to the neighbor who perverts the season just to one-up you, turn the game on, and turn your eyes to a better year ahead. Oh, and fit some family time in there too if you can.
