In a world where the Christmas spirit should be joyfully trotting down the snowy streets jingling bells, it’s bewildering to see some folks wagging their fingers and spreading gloom as if they were born in the Grinch’s cavernous lair. It seems like the holiday season, which normally celebrates cheer, goodwill, and timeless traditions, has become the newest stage for individuals to audition their Scroogelike theatrics. Now, viewers everywhere are bombarded with TikTok tirades from furrow-browed Scrooges claiming that Christmas is, in fact, a clandestine cabal of demonic rituals. Who knew?

Before TikTok enlightened us with its deluge of holiday brainwaves, these families happily decked their halls with boughs of holly. But now, having been baptized in the new knowledge of the internet, they’ve declared loyalty to dubious conspiracy, shelving their Christmas ornaments. They toss around words like “pagan” and “demonic” as liberally as confetti. But what they surely misunderstand is that even if Christmas took a few notes from other traditions, it merely demonstrates the faith’s knack for transforming the ordinary—and perhaps the pagan—into a divine celebration of hope. Nothing says “let’s ruin everyone’s good time” quite like insisting the Christmas joy is somehow sinister.

Now, as the holiday hits its stride, we meet the self-proclaimed war-on-Christmas warriors. They’ve hoisted their banners high, railed against Thanksgiving, called New Year’s a dud, and directed their humbugs at Santa and his jolly elves. There’s something almost comforting about the sheer predictability of their aversion. These naysayers, in their quest to strip away joy, seem to regard spreading their bile as a parallel mission to sharing holiday cheer. Indeed, if there’s one thing more baffling than outright Christmas cheer, it’s the ability to turn the spirit of giving into the gratuitous act of giving others a piece of one’s disgruntled mind.

Daring to question the jovial Santa, they eye his sleigh with a suspicious glance, pondering whether his gift-laden exploits and merry band of elves are part of some larger scheme. Is Santa a jolly benefactor or a crafty operator with a stash of aliases and unanswered questions about elven labor conditions? Oh, the creative energy wasted on worrying about a man who annually takes a night off his busy North Pole schedule to deliver joy to the world—gratis!

Sarcasm may not be the answer to the world’s woes, but perhaps by diagnosing this chronic joylessness with humor, one can prescribe a little perspective. As for those who scornfully sneer “Merry Christmas” with a string attached, accusing it of exclusion—well, let’s sip on our eggnog and chuckle. Every Merry Christmas ought to be, in essence, a practice in expressing goodwill, not some rigid doctrine marshaled as if ready for an inquisition.

So for those who celebrate with reckless abandon and for those who mutter curmudgeonly at the sight of tinsel, perhaps it’s wise to remember that life may be just a bit jollier with some mistletoe overhead and carols in the air. And if sharing a story of redemption told through the eyes of a baby in a manger once a year isn’t enchanting enough for some, then it seems merry old soul Santa’s only violation might be tipping their scales a wee bit too much toward jollification.