Dear Mr. Manners....

Dear Mr. Manners,

As Christmas approaches and I see the way my children are acting, is there something wrong about these feelings I keep having--that I really want to return all their expensive presents that I have spent so much time and effort on and replace them with some chunks of low-grade sub-bituminous coal?
I mean, I know it would be wrong to take even stronger steps. Besides, there are no local gypsy folk to sell them to anyway!
Sincerely,
Being Driven Up the Walls in Dayton

Hello Walls,
I have some good news and some bad news.
The bad news is that the malady with which you are afflicted is a common winter ailment. As an aside, the illustrious Polish psychologist Dr. Myse is the namesake of the clinical name of the ailment, namely 'Myse Lfishk Ids Syndrome.' And I regret to inform you that this is a chronic ailment that strikes without fail sometime between the Saturday after Thanksgiving and December 22rd, and will strike every year until your dear children move away.
Though there is no prescription available to combat this, please do not be too concerned, because there is good news.
By December 23rd, the magic that is Christmas and frantic rationalizing that there must have been SOMETHING good that the kids did during the year that justifies straining the family finances will combine to relieve all the symptoms.
Enjoy your Christmas!

Cherry cordially yours,
Mr. Manners