As I sat down to work on Volume One’s annual Holiday Handbook, it was inevitable that a seasonal song would emerge from my mental playlist and get stuck in my head. In this case, it’s a well-worn chestnut from the legendary Andy Williams Christmas Album that begins with resounding chimes and jingling sleigh bells, and then Williams’ voice ringing out:

Happy holiday
Happy holiday
While the merry bells keep ringing
Happy holiday to you

Like many of the other tracks on that record – “White Christmas,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and “The Christmas Song,” to name just three – this one is probably etched deeply into your brain, whether you realize it or not. (Hey, they didn’t call Williams “Mr. Christmas” for nothing.) While I’m not typically the kind of guy who starts listening to Christmas music months before the big day – for me, less tends to be more when it comes to holiday tunes – I’ll admit that I didn’t mind having a virtual version of good ol’ Andy bringing me some good cheer. That may be because, to quote another seasonal song, “We need a little Christmas, right this very minute.”

Why? This holiday guide is going to press on Election Day – which means that, by the time you read this, there could be pitchfork-and-torch-wielding mobs in the streets. Our democratic system could be crumbling before our eyes. Or, more likely, roughly half of the population will be tweeting angrily at the other half. Regardless, we’ll all be suffering a hangover from the toxic, seemingly endless election season that has just – mercifully – ended.

Thankfully, now that Nov. 8 is behind us, we’re heading into (cue Mr. Christmas again) “the most wonderful time of the year” (a.k.a. “the hap-happiest season of all”) 

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

All that sounds really great right now – other than the ghost stories, which I’ve always thought were a little out of place in the song (but I digress).  This year, let’s collectively agree to act like this really is the most wonderful time of the year, to treat the holiday season as the equivalent of a juice cleanse for our spirits. Although, instead of juice, I’d recommend hot apple cider or a Tom & Jerry. Let’s set aside our political and ideological differences and break bread – or, better yet, fruitcake – together. This time of year offers us countless opportunities to celebrate with our friends, families, and neighbors and to lend a hand to those in the Chippewa Valley who could use one. You’ll find resources to help you do all that (and more) in these pages.

Although the silly season may be behind us, there are some people who are prone to politicizing the Christmas season itself, suggesting that the mere use of the synonym “holiday” is somehow belittling the religious celebration on Dec. 25. I respectfully disagree, and I point to the aforementioned Andy Williams album as evidence that the religious and secular versions of the holiday can co-exist peacefully side by side: Side A of The Andy Williams Christmas Album is devoted to secular tunes, while Side B features religious songs such as “Away in a Manger” and “The Little Drummer Boy.” And consider the song stuck in my head, the purely secular medley “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season,” which uses the word “holiday” not once but twice in its title. Fun fact: In its original setting in the movie musical Holiday Inn, the holiday referred to in “Happy Holiday” is New Year’s Eve, not Christmas. (Oh, and that song, as well as “White Christmas,” was written by a Russian-born Jewish immigrant, Irving Berlin.)

My point is, depending on your preferences, you can metaphorically listen to only Side A or Side B of the holiday record – or, if you’re like many Americans, you can enjoy both sides together. Doing it one way or another won’t diminish anyone else’s enjoyment of the music – or the season. However it’s heard, Andy Williams’ voice will be as clear as a jingling bell and as smooth as that first sip of eggnog.

So Merry Christmas and happy holiday!