Lights Please...

Christmas. Yeah. Here comes another one. Are ye ready? I've been really struggling this year again. But if you want some help, get a four year old. I remember when I was four, Christmas was friggin' awesome.

Last night I watched the Peanuts Christmas with my daughter. This morning we caught part of the Grinch on Cartoon Network. Both of these offered a very subtle reminder of what Christmas is all about. Cartoons.

Sure, there's peace on Earth, good will and all that other crap that goes along with the holiday season, but my Christmas is always about the cartoons. Honestly.

Have you had the chance to watch the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lately? It is filled with some pretty startling truisms about life. The scenes in which Rudolph is encouraged to hide his freakish deformity are realistically cruel. His father and Santa are really mean. Yes, Santa is mean.

Rudolph then runs away and grows up. Then, in the end, he is eventually accepted by Santa and the reindeer when they realize he has something they want. You can argue that everyone sees the error of their ways, but really... what are their true motives? To use Rudolph's birth defect to save Christmas. How real-life can it get?

The Peanuts Christmas is also pretty cruel. I think that's why it works. Life is cruel. There are bright spots, but for the most part, suffering is unavoidable. So if you buy a crappy dead tree for the Christmas play, don't be surprised if everyone calls you a loser. By the end of the show, everyone will love you, but be ready for December 26th when the world gets back to 'normal'.