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Columnists and opinionators report that 4th of July is the best holiday we have because there’s no travelling, food preparation, expectations, or quarreling.

I disagree.  4th of July is okay, but mostly because it piggybacks on my birthday.  Thanksgiving is good for the food and family, but leaves me feeling guilty because I’ve eaten myself sick while Valentine’s day and New Years are the worst because I can never think of anything to do and everyone else is always having a better time than me.

Christmas on the other hand, is set in stone.  I know who I have to buy presents for, I can ask them exactly what they want, I know where I’ll be Christmas day and what we’ll eat, and I know that there’s no other alternative.  Someone else is not having a better Christmas party that I could have gone too had I bought tickets earlier, and the food is never disappointing.

Even the weather knows its place.  It always snows on Christmas.  There have never been any exceptions and there never will be.  It was raining on the 24th, and most of the 25th, but by dinner the droplets had frozen into thick cinematic snowflakes that slowly fluttered to the ground.

This Christmas was indeed flawless.  I start thinking about presents around August, and was able to get all my shopping done.  Even more so, I got enough of the holiday traffic and mall madness to make it feel like Christmas, but not drive me insane.  Careful planning meant I could afford the presents I want to buy people too.

That’s one thing that the magazine blurbs have right – you feel much better buying presents for other people than you do spending the money on yourself.

I am very much looking forward to next year.  I had a good Christmas, and despite corporate America’s attempt to destroy Christmas for the salary man, there is still a lot of cheer to be had.  Now if only I could figure something out for New Year’s.