Posted on 12/16/2020 6:20:21 PM PST by consult
Christmas feasting, decorating, and gift-opening can be dangerous to your health, according to a decidedly non-systematic review described in The BMJ's cheeky Christmas edition.
Among the documented harms associated with the holiday: a young man coming down with acute arsenic poisoning from painting his Christmas cards in 1876, a gifted pet hamster leading to an outbreak of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in 57 people in New York, and Haitian toy drums that transmitted anthrax bacilli from their goatskin hides.
In addition, more common maladies such as food poisonings are detailed. For example, 97 partygoers in Warsaw were sickened with norovirus from a salad served at the Christmas reception of the National Institute of Public Health-National Institute of Hygiene in 2012.
So, the authors consider, is Christmas worth it?
They note that a 2002 cost-effectiveness study of Christmas did not calculate "HOLLYs" (Happiness Outweighs Less Lean Years) and "JOLLYs" (Joyous Outcomes Living Longer at Yuletide) and acknowledge that their sources were largely anecdotal.
Therefore, they conclude, "Stay safe, keep calm, carry on, and enjoy a very Merry Christmas!"
Both Eeyore and Debbie Downer will be impressed with the new Wet Blanket in town.
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