ORAC-5 was an AI. He had human emotions, like happiness, sadness, nervousness. He was alive.
But he didn't understand all these human holidays. He didn't get Halloween, and he wasn't understanding Christmas either.
He knew people lined up under the Rockettower Plaza for disgusting looking cookies and weird apple juice. But he didn't understand why that was.
All the usual music he was used to - Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, The Best Time Of Your Life, Miracles from Molecules, Perpetual Motion - all of that had gone away. For weird music that he wasn't sure he liked.
And inside Space Mountain was horrible. Red, white, and green flashing lights and thrashing music of these weird songs that played outside. He didn't even have a brain to speak of, but those lights were seizure inducing even for him - how did the humans deal with it?
It was Christmas.
And after the Very Merry Christmas Party had ended, ORAC-5 searched his data banks for Christmas and learned it was a human holiday celebrated by some on December 25th. The people who celebrated were called Christians, but there were other major holidays this time of year too, like Diwali for Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains, Hanukkah for Jews, Bodhi Day for Buddhists, Solstice for Pagans, Yule for Pagans and Wiccans, Kwanza for African Americans, and the common New Year for everyone.
Today was December 16th. Or 17th - it was technically after midnight. The next winter festivity would be Hanukkah, beginning on Sunday. Coincidentally, the date of the World Cup final between France and Argentina.
December, ORAC-5 concluded, was a very busy month for much of the world. So much celebrating that, as a new AI, he was excited to experience. Including Christmas Day. If this was the lead up, the day itself had to be spectacular!
The "weird music" he doesn't like is just techno covers of Christmas Carols. Mannheim Steamroller and all that.
I also touched on some other festivities celebrated this time of year by other people who are not Christians, as Christmas is a Christian holiday, after all. It's why I prefer to say Happy Holidays - there's just so much going on this time of year, and I love it all!