Humble, Ordinary, and Familiar

The holiday season gnaws at me. I touched on this last week and I have written about it at length over the years, including a few Merle Haggard-inspired essays. It is not that I am not a festive person (quite the opposite, actually), but I am always bothered by the pressure and strain that impacts so many friends, loved ones, and neighbors during the holiday season.

I’m not here to recycle old essa…