At the very least, he is Persephone's brother. Some traditions say he is her son. For some reason I have always linked the feeling of Chrsitmastime to the energy of Dionysos. And even though this is a blog about Persephone, I wanted to take this little detour into his mythology.
Sure, sure...you might say it is all about the wine. But that isn't exactly it. I think it is that feeling of perpetual celebration. About giving yourself over to feeling good.
I have a habit of feeling "stressy" during the holidays. I do it to myself. I have a problem with not knowing how to react when too many things are coming at me all at once. The Holidays tend to do that to you. We travel during the holidays, so I always feel like I need to get things done super early to allow myself enough time to be prepared. I am a planner by nature anyway. When it starts to feel like I can't finish all of these things on time, I start to freak out. Truth is, they always work out in the end. The energy of Dionysos is like that - give yourself over to him 100 % and things will work out in the end. It might be a wild and out of control ride, but it'll work out.
One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Muppet Christmas Carol. I love the way they handled the Ghost of Christmas Present. I think there is something about his image - the giant, jolly ghost sitting among all the symbols of a great and prosporous feast - that is very Dionysian. "Come and know me better, Man!" he says to Michael Cain's Scrooge. That is exactly what everyone should do with a god like Dionysos.
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