One good thing about Christmas is that people at least have a stab at saying nice things to each other. "Happy Christmas", that sort of thing. And perhaps that's the only good thing about it.
Otherwise its a time of overconsumption, even more waste than usual, panic buying of sprouts, half of which will go in the bin, millions of intensively reared animals killed after spending the whole of their miserable lives in an overpopulated warehouse. When people spend small fortunes on ipods and trainers and wiis for the kids.
And its a celebration of what? It's Jesus's birthday. Jesus himself may have meant well, but his followers since haven't exactly been beacons of virtue. The Crusades, the Inquisition, Northern Ireland, sodomising priests, and now the pope bleating about homosexuality.
Apparently more people disappear around this time of year than any other. They just walk away. They've had enough of it.
Hapy Christmas!