Thursday Things: Christmas Eve Eve Eve Edition

22 December 2022. Vol 4 No 51 By Dan McGirt. #176

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Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve! (If you zoom in in the silver decoration you can see the photographer. Hi, Filippos Sdralias!) Photo by Filippos Sdralias on Unsplash

Happy Holidays!

’Twas the night before the night before the night before Christmas and once again I’m not sure how much content to put in a holiday edition of Thursday Things. Punting on Thanksgiving is a no brainer. The Thursday before Christmas (which is also mid-Hanukkah)? That’s more iffy. Are you going to read this? Well, if you’ve read this far I suppose the answer is yes. So let’s get to it!

Mental Health Meltdown

This item isn’t quite a steaming mug of holiday cheer, but I want to lead with it anyway, because it’s important. Let’s face it, the last couple of years have been rough sledding. And more of us are not doing so well these days, mentally speaking:

Americans' Reported Mental Health at New Low; More Seek Help

Americans’ positive self-assessments of their mental health are the lowest in more than two decades of Gallup polling. In all, 31% of U.S. adults describe their mental health or emotional wellbeing as “excellent,” the worst rating by three percentage points.

Another 44% of Americans rate their mental health as “good,” and the 75% combined excellent and good rating is the lowest on record and 10 points shy of the average since 2001. In addition, 17% of U.S. adults describe their mental health as “only fair” and 7% as “poor.” The latter figure is the highest in Gallup’s trend.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans’ “excellent” ratings of their mental health averaged 45%. Gallup polling early in the pandemic found that U.S. adults were concerned about their own mental health and that of their children. By November 2020, eight months after the pandemic began in the U.S., Americans’ excellent assessments of their own mental health dropped nine points to 34%, a new low since the measure was first tracked in 2001.

Last year, the reading was unchanged. The latest three-point dip in excellent mental health evaluations, from a Nov. 9-Dec. 2 Gallup poll, suggests that although the pandemic has improved, some of its ill effects remain. These include economic concerns precipitated by the highest inflation rate in more than four decades.

Women, young U.S. adults and those with lower annual household incomes are least likely to rate their mental health positively.

The pandemic hit a lot of people hard. The economy is a bit rough these days. Wars and rumors of wars abound. Conflict and division seem to compound daily.

You can see how people might be feeling a bit more overwhelmed than usual.

Maybe you’re one of them.

And I share this survey mainly to say — it’s not just you. You’re not alone. You’re not the only one. We’re all in this boat together. That in itself is perhaps some comfort.

It can also help to remember that whatever life has thrown at you so far, whatever obstacles, challenges, setbacks, failures, losses, or problems you’ve had, you survived all those! You’ve made it this far! You’re here, today, now and that in itself is a victory. You’re winning! Even if you don’t feel like it, you are. So yay you!

That said, reach out and seek professional help if you need it. Or amateur help, that’s good too. And let’s remember to check in with those around us and give them help, support, and encouragement when we can. I feel confident that by working together we can get these numbers up for 2023! :)

Why is this even still an argument?

You know who had a bad day but never gave up? John McClane, that’s who! The hero of perhaps the most thrilling Christmas movie of all time. And if you doubt that Die Hard is a Christmas movie — or need to prove to some one that it is — then this item is for you.

All the Evidence Needed to Enshrine 'Die Hard' as a Christmas Classic

The debate about the enshrinement of “Die Hard” into the Christmas holiday canon has started to solidify. Over the years we have reached the point of near-universal acceptance (not “Universal”, as this is a 20th Century Fox property.) Still, there are those holdouts who remain resistant to allowing John McClane into their homes as a yuletide pixie.  Well, I am nothing if not a peace merchant, so allow me to help dispel the contempt.

More than relying on brash insistence, I instead decide to close the case by bringing facts. Let’s get definitive. To start, below are the number of elements that support the theory. Then, to solidify things entirely, I’ll offer to you some empirical support from involved individuals.

Let’s talk facts:

• To start, The bulk of the film takes place in one location — and takes place on Christmas Eve.

• On the plane John McClane travels with a teddy bear, a Christmas gift for his daughter.

• John arrives at the airport and he meets his young limo driver, who compliments his bear. The driver is named ARGYLE, after the traditional Christmas gift of socks.

• Soon after John’s wife is on the phone with their daughter, who asks if her father will be there for Christmas. She answers with, “We’ll see what Mommy and Santa can do.”

• John’s wife’s name? HOLLY.

• John goes to his wife’s workplace, where they are staging the iconic Christmas party. This party is crucial to the plans of the terrorists accessing the building.

Read the whole article for many, many more incontrovertible points of evidence that Die Hard is indeed, always has been, and always will be a Christmas movie.

Safe Travels

Many Happy Subscribers will be on the road or in the air this week. I wish you safe travels (and a less eventful holiday trip than John McClane’s) and best wishes for a happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Yuletide, Festivus, Saturnalia, or your other preferred seasonal holiday of choice!

Possibly not a real van. Photo by Denise Johnson on Unsplash

Thank you for reading!

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