blah, humbug

The Youngstown Renaissance blog looks at the holiday season in this great post.

"I don't want to douse anyone's holiday cheer with yellow snow, but I've got to say that I'm not feeling that old Christmas spirit this year. Have you noticed how many pathetic Christmas songs there are on the radio, blaring at you relentlessly as you make your way down the street or through shops?"

"As it happens, a number of earlier traditions observed December 25 as a feast day for their deities, including Phrygian Attis (who, incidentally, was a shepherd born of a virgin), Greek Dionysus (who, incidentally, is the child of a god and a mortal and traveled to and returned from the underworld, and his followers ate and drank his "flesh" and "blood"), Egyptian Osiris (who, incidentally, was known as "Lord of Lords", "King of Kings" and "Good Shepherd" and was sacrificed and resurrected) and Persian Mithra (you get the idea).

Maybe I'll put up a Dionysian bacchanal scene in my front yard to balance the numerous nativities around?

In fact, I think a bacchanalian holiday is something I could really get into."