Nuts and Bolts: that holiday feeling.

 What if you want the food and the presents and the getting together and fun and games of Christmas, but don't believe in Christ, or, indeed, mass?

In 1997 the City of Birmingham (the English one) came up with Winterval to cover the council-run festivities of midwinter; and in the USA people seem to say Happy Holidays.

There's Season's Greetings, of course. Or you could go with Have a Good Brumalia! if you are talking to an Ancient Roman. (And there's a better idea for Birmingham, too (Brum is a local nickname for Birmingham.))

I've read that some Jewish people go for a mash-up of Christmas and Hannukah and use the horrid Happy Christmukkah. But this may be a foul slur.

Happy Soltice is scientifically accurate (and also pagan).

Merry Saturnalia (also Roman) would do if you intend to throw a really wild topsy-turvy party, or Happy Yule if all you want to do is sleep like a log.

Or there are other midwinter festivals. There's the Welsh Alban Arthan (a fairly recent festival invented by a forger, but hey...) The East Asian Dongzhi, the Slavic Korochun, the Buddhist Sanghamitta Day, the Zuni Shalako, the Iranian Yalda, and the Ancient Latvian Ziemassvetki.

So what to do? 

Well, in Antarctica they go with Midwinter Day. I think that this is particularly big of them because for them it's actually their midsummer. 

I can't see how anyone could object to that.

But still, I'm sure plenty will.

Word To Use Today: the trouble is, can we wish people Happy anything in case that is less than understanding and supportive of their mental health?

In the words of Rick Nelson, you can't please everybody so you gotta please yourself.

Happy Christmas!