As temps fluctuate and the ball revolves, another holiday season is upon us. A sanitized vision of the season has long been reinforced by an entertainment industry that is eager to sell a vision of health, wealth and prosperity to a market-ready populace. You can blame the state of things, or you can blame the holidays themselves. After all, it wasn’t domestic bliss that nearly sent George Bailey off the proverbial bridge. As another year comes to a close, we tip our hat to the enduring “Christmas spirit” with one hand — and throw down a pint with the other. Behold this season’s Holiday Sock, a wooly bundle of potpourri with a healthy dose of stuffed stockings for some, and ashes and switches for others.