Got the Holiday Blues?

The NYT understands. Commiserate here and here.

I'm not denying the holidays are stressful and fraught with opportunities for family bickering or outright combat. Examples are legion and form a nasty little undercurrent to the Tidings of Comfort and Joy gestalt of the season. Nonetheless, after reading these two articles I'm left thinking some people just don't know how to have a good time.

Now, that said, I have my own ritual for handling the Holiday Blues. It's been my habit for the past few years to spend Christmas day completely alone, interrupted only by the ringing of the phone, when I take "Merry Christmas!" calls from my sons. It's not that I don't know how to have a good time; I certainly do. It's the fact that Christmas is all about kids, family, and reunion. I don't need to be reminded that, through no choice of my own, I cannot rejoice in that manner any longer. Sometimes it's just best to be alone.