Tribute To Consumerism Marks Arrival Of Yearly Festival Of Dread

In an unwelcome reminder that we have made our entrance into the arena of the worst part of the year, they have started to assemble the tents down in Union Square for the annual Holiday Market, which opens this Friday. There is no longer any way to pretend that it’s not happening; we are now within the Holiday Zone. There are no prayers or entreaties that can forestall this grim acknowledgment. The best one can do is accelerate one’s Holiday Drinking regimen and hope that one emerges bleary-eyed after New Year’s with as incomplete a memory of this horrible span as possible. May God have mercy on our souls.