"It's the most wonderful tiiiiiime of the year..."

I don't know that song, just the opening line, but thankfully that's all I need. Singing this line out loud at the right moments is a quick and easy way to brighten your holiday.

The right moments, of course, are the moments of maximum holiday stress, such as when you're in the mall and the line stretches out of the store and right then a toddler starts screaming and the resonant frequency amplified by mall acoustics cause pinprick hemorrhages and make your spleen bleed.

Try it. You might get a laugh or a knowing chuckle accompanied by a rueful grin. More likely, people will think you're a big pain in the ass.

But that's fun, too.