Sure, the song talks about the holiday spirit, the thrill of meeting up with family and friends, of enjoying a bit of Christmas Cheer as we celebrate a season of giving.

But, see, this also is a most wonderful time of year for the professorial types. It's the end of fall term.

Most of my grading for the semester is done...everything but the final exams and some wayward homework assignments that seem to find my mailbox on campus. And then...judgment day, or days, in my case; Monday night and Tuesday mid-morning, my students will be int he computer lab, banging away their final essay in Spanish, as I finalize the gradebooks in everything but the final exam. And this time, I don't have much time to get the grading done, as one of my closest friends comes in on Wednesday night for a few days of visiting and sight-seeing. So, basically, the finality of the semester, followed by fun tour-guide

Actually, the reason I love this time of year is simple: normally grumpy, cranky, and generally unpleasant people are actually nice to one another. People help others out, there are more people smiling and generally happy. Even those who have seemingly outgrown the concept of Santa Claus still display the spirit. I love it!