You are looking at me because there's no wind. Happy Holidays.

Happy Cat-mas, season's greetings and happy holidays. We wish you well and hope that your family and friends are safe, prosperous and in good health.

For those of you not familiar with Cat-mas, it marks the end of one windsurfing year and the beginning of another. Its origins are lost in the murkiness of a time long ago but it has been said that great sailors of long ago - perhaps, Vikings, ancient Greeks or even Polynesians - may have started many of the Cat-mas traditions we have today. Others claim its inception was in the murkiness of a tequila haze but historical scholars are divided on the point.

In Atlanta, Cat-mas is celebrated with particular fervor. Since we live in a place where there isn't much wind and we participate in a sport that requires a fair amount of it, we spend much of our time on the subject of cats. It's not that we have special affection for cats (in our household, we are "dog people"), but it's how we attempt to keep a sense of humor in the dark times between periods of wind.

In cultures that don't celebrate Cat-mas, statistics show that when it's not windy, crimes of domestic violence increase. Usually, it's a spouse, friend or family member who tires of the whining about the lack of wind and pops an unfortunate windsurfer or kiter over the head with a skillet. But let's not dwell on the negative during this holiday period. A very happy Cat-mas to you and yours and may the New Year bring you warm winds.