May the Yuletide be Gay

Ah Christmas, my favorite time of year. Come December, I torment those near and dear to me with incessant carols and (some say) premature holiday cheer. Spending Christmas in Denver was lovely: cookies were baked, the tree was bejeweled, the Grinch was (re)watched. The weather gods even surprised me with the proverbial White Christmas, giving Denver denizens a clean cover of snow to alternately delight (children, sappy people, me) and torment (drivers, people whose duty it is to shovel driveways, me). In between eating, reading, sleeping, and playing Bingo with the high school crew, I even managed an afternoon of frolicking in the white stuff with my little brother. See pictures for proof of familial happiness.

But all good things (read: excessive leisure time) must come to an end, and I find myself back in damp and dreary DC just in time to ring in the New Year with awesome friends. I couldn't be happier to be back home. (That's right - I had the realization flying back into National that home is no longer the house I grew up in, it's the community I make for myself, wherever that may be. And at the moment, the District seems pretty damn homey, with friends new and less new to welcome me back.)

Since tomorrow is January, it's high time for me to bid goodbye to the "most wonderful time of the year" for year another twelve months, and get on with my life. But before I abandon the holiday spirit, I'm leaving you with a gift courtesy of my brother and YouTube (since what is Christmas about in this country if NOT the presents?!). I can't seem to figure out exactly how this video relates to Christmas, other than a character who happens to be named Santa Claus. After all, there's no push for material consumption, no pretty ornaments, and certainly no baby Jesus. Instead, there seems to be an epic battle of the "Agwars" spearheaded by a laser-ax-toting "Great Woodsman" against some troll things. Oh, and Santa owns a puma. Go figure.

Enjoy, and if you can find any seasonal message encrypted in this bizarre sequence, by all means let me know. Merry Christmas!!!!