Holiday Post 2023: Traditions, Manners and Miscellany

Welcome to the Itinerant Librarian's 2023 series of holiday posts. This is the time of year when I put together a few holiday posts on various topics. I do it mainly for a bit of fun and to share a few things that may be of interest to my four readers, and I add a bit of commentary and maybe a little snark here or there. I always start with a look at holidays' traditions, manners, and other miscellany. 

As in previous years, we'll be staying home for the holidays and hopefully stay safe while enjoying some peace and quiet.  

Traditions and manners

 

• The U.S. Census Bureau presents some facts for the 2023 Winter Holiday Season. For example, did you know that the value of U.S. imports of Christmas decorations in 2022 from China was $3.17 billion? 
• PNC Bank celebrates 40 years of doing their annual Christmas Price Index, where they calculate with a bit of humor the cost of the items mentioned in the song "12 Days of Christmas." 
• Almanac.com, the folks who publish The Farmer's Almanac, offers "Everything You Should Know About December," a collection of facts, dates, and folklore for the month. 
• The White House again is offering Christmas tours. The website, which includes details if you want tickets to take a Christmas tour, offers photos and other trivia about Christmas at the White House.
• Surviving the holidays. Whether you travel to see family, or they travel to see you, the holidays can often be stressful if your family and friends are dysfunctional. Every year advice columns feature all sorts of advice for surviving the holidays. For me, these remind me why it is best to stay home with your small family and celebrate modestly and in peace. However, if you must travel or host, here are some bits of advice I hope help. 
• The Guardian has 15 tips that cover a variety of situations. Though this guide came out for summer travel, many of the tips are very applicable to any holiday travel. 
• Via WFLA, here is advice to not just survive but thrive during the holidays. I like that they mention the importance of self-care. However, when "Aunt Betty starts another political debate, breathe deeply and sip your wine slowly," no. It's time to kick Aunt Betty out, or if you are at her house, it's time for you to leave. I say keep your mouth shut about the politics, and if they cant do that, cut them off right away. 
• John Beckett, of Under the Ancient Oaks, offers some advice on holiday traditions and toxic families with a bit of a pagan view, but applicable to just about anyone.
  
• Advice for the office holiday party, if you must. Over at New York Magazine, Allison Green writes about how to survive the office holiday party. Let me save you a click: the main point is to show up, even if you do not want to, so you can do just enough butt kissing to the boss so the boss will remember you fondly later in evaluations, etc. After all, you don't want to be seen as not being a team player because you do not fall for the delusion those people are your friends (they are not. They are your coworkers, and the boss will fire you anyhow first chance he gets when shit hits the fan). Bottom line from her is make sure you are seen, which makes me glad I am not employed in the corporate world, and if I miss the local holiday party no one really cares. 
• On a different kind of advice, Bustle offers you a Tarot reading for the 2023 holidays. Their columnist draws five cards to see “What do we need to know about navigating this holiday season?”
• The United States Postal Service is once again doing Operation Santa. The USPS receives tons of letters to Santa this year, so to help Santa Claus out they offer folks the option to adopt a letter to Santa and help out. 
  

The Christmas Tree, Decorations, and Other Objects

 

• Do you prefer a natural tree for Christmas? In some places, like Canada, it may be more difficult and/or more expensive to buy a natural tree. Why? There is a shortage of trees, and less farmers growing them for the markets. Story via the CBC. 
• Writing and sending holiday cards? Apparently poor use of apostrophes when writing out the cards is an issue, but lucky for us Axios is here to explain the basic rules so your friends do not turn into grinches. 
• You can always go out and see a nice Christmas lights display. Locally, we try to see one of the displays up in Lexington. If you are around the Washington D.C. area, the Washingtonian has a list of 13 best displays in the area. Article does include some nice photos.
• Up in Canada, if you prefer museums, a Halifax museum has a very nice LEGO display for the holidays. See the video from the CBC here.
• Want to see a movie during the holidays?
• If you want to head to a movie theater, Rolling Stone has a list of the 25 most anticipated holiday movies for 2023.
• Want to stay close to home or at home? Budget from shopping depleted, so can't make it to the movie theater? Cosmopolitan has you covered with their 22 best free Christmas movies. Their list features the adaptation of A Christmas Carol featuring George C. Scott as Scrooge, which happens to be a favorite of mine. You can usually find it playing free somewhere; I know right now Tubi has it, which is how I plan to watch it again this year. The list also has one I watched last year: A Christmas Karen, a newer entry in the Christmas Carol adaptations. This one features a "Karen" in the Scrooge role. It's not great, but it is amusing, and I think some people may enjoy it. You can also find it on Tubi. Overall, the list has a movie for just about anyone as long as you want a Christmas theme, mainly secular, but no other holidays are featured.
   
• Need something to munch on? The Conversation takes a look at the fruitcake, that once common holiday staple.  These days I honestly wonder how many people buy and/or send fruitcakes as gifts to others. 
• Finally for this post, this is a time of year when holiday advertising ramps up. Very often we get ads designed to tug at your heart somehow. Here are two ads I found heartwarming as well as interesting, both from across the pond in Great Britain. 
• Via Bored Panda, an Irish pub makes an ad for the holidays that highlights the loneliness some folks feel over the holidays. Here is the direct link to the video, on Instagram.
• This food bank does an ad that remakes the popular song "12 Days of Christmas"  into an ad that appeals to folks to donate to the food bank by telling them the specific things they need in the "12 Crates of Christmas." Story via The Big Issue. You can watch the video directly here via YouTube.
  

 That does it for this post. Stay tuned for the next posts in the series. Next time I plan to look at gifts, strange things, and other shopping where I poke a bit of fun at some of the strange and oh so must have gifts and gift lists out there. In the meantime, thank you for stopping and feel free to leave a comment if so moved. I wish  you all a safe and happy holidays season in whatever form the holidays take for you. Plus, if you are one of the folks who have to work during the holidays, my thanks and appreciation. Stay safe.