CAUTION: Holiday Rant.  May contain nuts.  Or may have been written by one. ...and the miracle is... I haven't exploded. Yet. Gawd that I don't believe in, how I despise this time of year.  Other years have been worse.  Like maybe 15 years ago or so in my previous job.  We had to do the annual "Christmas Sing-along."  And no, not generic holiday, "Christmas."  An hour of Christmas songs - seven pages of handout lyrics for the kids to learn, complete with one token 4-liner about  "I had a little dreydl."  Adults in seasonal drag, including Frosty, Susy Snowflake, and of course, Santa.  Children whipped up into hysteria at the assembly.  Singing the words that I absolutley can not stand.   In a class prior to the event a second-grader (8 years old) asked me, after singing "Silent Night,"  "what's a virgin?" Oh lordy, how I RESENTED being put in that position!  I answered "it means she was YOUNG." May I never have to be asked that question in that context ever again!   EVER! That was then. The town in which I teach now is much more politically aware, but has its conservative element.  Kids sometimes ask me why we don't sing any Christmas songs and I tell them: "there are SO many holidays this time of year I feel it would be unfair to feature one and ignore all the others.  Besides, it's not like you're being cheated out of any Christmas music.  It's in all the stores, elevators, taxi-cabs, neighborhoods, TV shows, movie theaters..." Some part of me does want to find enough material to feature winter traditions from around the globe to drown out the Christmas hysteria that begins in this country as early as September.  (Never stand next to me in a store the day they set up the first fake pine tree and ornamental ball, unless you LIKE blue language.)  I kind of feel like if I don't do that, then the omnipresent fundy Christian aura that permeates this culture ends up winning. I'll be damned if I let that happen. Some years I blow up weeks before the 25th, other years not until the 26th.  At some point, however, I will have finally had ENOUGH and end up venting on some poor soul whose offence is minor but will have been the straw that broke the camel's back.  I understand the part about wanting to bring a bit more "light" into this, the darkest time of year, thanks to the global axis tilt - I just wish it didn't trigger everything I hate about the religion that gets wrapped up in it.