I recently spent time with my mother-in-law, who informed me, "We're not doing Christmas this year."

Since my in-laws are Jewish, this wasn't that much of a stunner. Generally speaking, Christmas isn't a holiday that's eagerly embraced by members of the Jewish faith. But my in-laws do embrace many things that involve fun, and Christmas is usually one of them.

This year, though, Carol wants to escape the mania and relax in Florida.

I don't blame her. The commercial aspects of Christmas can sometimes feel like an extended visit from Ebenezer Scrooge's ghosts. The bombardment starts as soon as the Halloween pumpkins are put away and doesn't stop until you embrace the holiday spirit or the calendar hits December 25, whichever comes first. (And if you hold out until the 26th, you're just in time for the post-Christmas sales, and a few more, sad rounds of "Deck the Halls.")

I'm here to tell you that you don't have to go all the way to Florida to hide from annoyingly jolly Santa and his ubiquitous reindeer and elves. You can simply focus your energy on alternative winter holidays. I'm not necessarily talking about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, although each of these celebrations is wonderful in its own way.

Those of us who are firmly in the Scrooge camp--or whose cultural traditions just don't include Christmas--need something really fresh and different. Maybe something like Luciadagen, which takes place on December 13 in Sweden.

The holiday honors Saint Lucia of Sicily, although no one knows for sure why the Swedish have taken a particular liking to her. It could be because of the dramatic life she lived, and her courage in avoiding a shameful fate.

Tradition has it that on Luciadagen, or Lucia's Day, the oldest girl in the family wears a white robe tied with a red sash. Then she puts on a crown of greenery or lighted candles, and brings coffee and saffron buns to the grownups. Boys wear pointy hats and are called "star boys."

This is a holiday probably best celebrated by people with good posture and equally good singing voices, for it also requires the performance of carols that thank the Queen of Light for bringing hope during the year's darkest days.

If that doesn't make you feel better about avoiding Christmas, you could flip the calendar back a day and travel to Iceland to experience a visit from the Meat Hooker.