We're nearing the end of another year and the end of the holiday season. I've survived and so have you. It is a weird thing to think about, but the holiday season hasn't been the holiday season in a long while for me.

I've given up on religion for at least four years now. No church, no belief in an afterlife, no God, and does this affect how this part of the year plays out.

In my younger days and in the days before giving up on religion, I've always felt this to be the best time of the year, because of the connection you get from serving your fellow men with greetings of good tidings and holiday wishes. The giving of gifts extended these feelings; an extension of freely giving of yourself to others, in service to others. The selflessness that this season aroused in me was welcome.

But lately, I haven't felt that way. I doubt it is the loss of religion as I don't believe having religion as a precondition to being selfless and caring. It's more that the last couple of years, the Decembers have swept by and the holidays get up and get down. Before you know it they're upon you. You spend hectic days shopping, but never contemplating what it all means.

I find that only a few things can get me out of the funk and into a holiday mood. It's A Wonderful Life is one, but sadly, it is no longer shown on every channel, every where. The Charlie Brown Christmas album is another, but iTunes is evil and splits it into 2 albums so I can't listen to it completely on iPhone. These two, any time I catch them during December, it instantly becomes the holiday season.

Yet, I still wish I could get that feeling back. Christmas is gone. Maybe next year.

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