The hospital becomes a weirder place during Christmas. I'm not sure if it's because it contrasts so much with the holiday spirit that bombards us everywhere else. I just know that things are going to get 'looney tunes" until the new year. There is an unwritten law that no one is supposed to die between Thanksgiving and the New Year's especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This leads to a form of health care psychosis in the staff who realize that death and disease never take a holiday. It's bizarre the things that go on to avoid death on a holiday. These non-death holidays occur throughout the year but in December they morph into a season. I wish I could take off during this time to avoid all the emotional angst and return when the level of mental illness returns to baseline. I prefer the other 330 days of the year when people are not burdened with the expectation of this special season.
In the meantime I'll take a deep breath and realize that people will eventually return to normal on January second. Besides, there is enough desserts and chocolate laying around to give me a serotonin buzz.
