Survivre a Noel

When the countdown to the Advent begins again, we would rather be spared the excruciating pain of an inner crisis that is bound to turn into a family ordeal. Yet it is difficult to pretend that we can steer clear of a holiday which reminds us that we are nothing without other people and the strength that we derive from our relatives. Drawing from all conceptual sources (philosophy, history, psychoanalysis, anthropology, literature, movies, series on television), this book deciphers the moods and torments that chronically resurface in the last grey hours of the year. Its aim is not to defend Christmas, or to put it on trial, any more than it is to make fun of its folklore or declare it obsolete. It advocates neither its cultural sanctification, nor its banishment from our customs. What it seeks to do is invite readers to ponder this strange holiday that leaves no one indifferent or unhurt-one which, in nearly every latitude, absorbs individuals and brings generations together like none other-for better or worse, often with joy, but not always with good humor, against a backdrop of "for auld lang syne," but never without conflict or tension. And there's a good reason for that: Christmas is the disquieting measure of all our connections with the living and the dead.