Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter-solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2019, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.


In the Christmas in Other Cultures category, here’s a Klingon Christmas Carol. Also, how to have a British Christmas, Sweden’s bizarre tradition of watching Donald Duck (Kalle Anka) cartoons on Christmas Eve, Strange Christmas Traditions Around the World, and Japan’s obsession with Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas.


At Christmas, this town builds a giant yule goat and then torches it.

Great Literary Christmas Tales That Aren’t A Christmas Carol.

The Real Story behind A Charlie Brown Christmas (and why it almost wasn’t shown).


Using Fox Urine to Prevent Christmas Tree Theft.

Little Drummer Boy, sung by David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

Why Did NORAD Start Tracking Santa? Related: How NORAD’s Santa tracker works.

The story of the real-life George Bailey of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Supercut of movie Santas.

Gingerbread Houses Inspired by Movies and TV Shows.

ICYMI, Friday’s links are here, and include the winter solstice (plus descriptions of the concurrent celebrations of Saturnalia and Halcyon Days), why we kiss under the mistletoe and how the plant got that strange name (spoiler — it literally means “dung twig”), and the classic Christmas drunken fruitcake recipe.