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Considering the the stress that can be involved in flying across the country braving baggage claims, TSA lines, and winter weather, it's not surprising that to some people, a nice long Caribbean cruise seems like the perfect antidote to the traditional travails of the holidays. Of course, those cruises aren't without their own hazards -- case in point, the 400 people sickened with what appears to be nausea- and diarrhea-inducing norovirus on two recent holiday cruises. All of a sudden, sitting through yet another round of Mom's favorite holiday pastime -- "When are you going to meet someone nice and settle down?" -- doesn't sound so bad.

This Christmas, Iran -- whose ruling regime is on any number of naughty lists around the world -- got another dose of the gift that keeps on giving. Like a flareup of digital herpes, the Stuxnet virus apparently reared its ugly head once again, with Iranian media announcing on Christmas day that the virus had been causing trouble for industries including  power plants in the south of the nation over the last few months.

Is the very thought of having to sit through yet another Christmas special about some mutated reindeer with a case of low self-esteem making you sick to your stomach? Tired of being preached the true meaning of Christmas like we're soulless, materialistic goons? Okay, maybe they're right in that regard, but the point is monotony needs a good kick to the curb this holiday season and no Christmas special kicks harder than How the LOLCats Saved Christmas. True, it is yet another paint-by-numbers bastardization of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, but this iteration has 100% more cats per serving compared to other leading versions of the story. Plus, the cats don't stop to sing every five minutes, so that has to count for something.

Were you naughty or nice this year? You know something? It doesn't really matter since Zombie Santa Claus fully intends to sate his ravenous hunger with your sweet, sweet flesh either way. Sculpted by Justin Cissell and distributed by Of Corpse You Can, this Zombie Santa Claus ornament can be yours, bringing that horrific Yuletide touch to your Christmas tree -- sure to make for a lovely conversation piece and a source of unending nightmares for small children already struggling with a socially crippling fear of the fat man in red. For your sake, it's best just to admire him from a distance and keep your fingers away.

No doubt plenty of us have spent many a holiday evening warming ourselves by the reassuring glow of a Yule log, perpetually burning away on some local cable access channel. As far as we're concerned, it's the perfect answer to a holiday fire -- all the holiday cheer, none of the mess and hassle of trying to set a log on fire inside your house -- which if we're being honest, always seemed rather dangerous and counter-intuitive to us. That's not to say the tradition of watching the Yule log pop and crackle on the TV set isn't due for an update. After all, who the heck has a TV set these days? This year, give this all digital Yule log -- designed by animator Nigel Upchurch -- a shot at warming your heart, if not necessarily your hearth.

Recently discovered wax cylinders have been shown to contain what could be the earliest audio recordings of Christmas in the world. The Museum of London discovered 24 wax cylinders dating back to 1902 that contain a British family's home phonograph recordings taken at Christmas. The recordings are considered incredibly rare because wax cylinders are fragile. They are made of wax after all, and as such they don't store very well. Finding them over one hundred years later in playable condition is a Christmas miracle of science.

It's a widely accepted scientific fact that kids these days just don't fear the omnipotent judge of the righteous and damned, Santa Claus, like they once used to. Years ago, the prospect of having one's gift withheld and given a lump of coal instead was enough to convince children to behave. Today, the little brats have the absurd notion that they're entitled to being showered in free material goods. This year, things are going to be different. Cartoonist Mark Anderson has constructed the ultimate mobile weapon in bad behavior deterrence entirely out of LEGO: The LEGO Santa Claus Mech!

Many of you are probably setting up the Christmas tree this weekend, and if you're anything like us, it's a daunting task. The pines and spruces of our youth, were always decorated with love, care, and not a little shouting. They also usually left one with the impression that we had jammed all the ornaments, tinsel, and lights at our disposal into a cannon, fired it in the general direction of the tree, and moved on with our lives. The University of Sheffield's Maths Society -- presumably sick of watching people like me decorate like an animal -- has offered up a Christmas miracle -- a series of calculations that, if followed, will get your tree looking picture perfect, from an exacting tinsel-to-tree ratio to a star or angel that's just the right height.

A Christmas lights display synced to the Skyrim theme music. Why didn't this kind of thing happen when I was a child and drove around with my family looking at Christmas lights? Enjoy your remaining holidays!

It is Christmas Day, and you may or may not be plucking presents from under the tree, opening them to find a mix of things you really want and a bunch of socks. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you could probably appreciate some of the weird, impressive, unconventional Christmas trees we've been saving just for this day. Head on past the break to see how the rest of the world is funny with their weird Christmas trees.

We've been saving this one for the holidays. When you leave your presents under the tree tonight to be opened in the morning, make sure you don't leave an adorable squad of puppies around, because they'll destroy Christmas in the cutest way possible.

It's that time of year again, folks, when the world celebrates a guy that certain detractors think was created by a soda company, and when NORAD spends its time monitoring Santa Claus, because, I mean, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has to monitor suspicious objects flying around in the sky for our safety. What's more suspicious than a fat guy in a red suit riding around in a flying sleigh drawn by flying reindeer, who also happens to break into a bunch of houses throughout the night? NORAD tracks his current location and how many gifts he has delivered, so you can see the true workhorse that is Santa Claus.

For those that are sick of holiday cheer, or feel they can't happily celebrate anything while suffering people are still in the world (or something), never fear, for Festivus is almost here. Created by writer Dan O'Keefe as a holiday people can celebrate without participating in the "pressures" of commercialization, his son Daniel, a screenwriter for Seinfeld, introduced the holiday to the world through George Costanza's father's holiday beliefs. The secular holiday is celebrated on December 23, and consists of time-honored traditions, such as the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength, because who doesn't want to argue with and physically fight their loved ones to celebrate the holiday season? Detailed information presented in a visual medium after the break. If only that kind of thing had a singular word to describe it.

Chanukah has already started and Christmas is in the offing, so there are no doubt many of you realizing that you lack the necessary wrappings to conceal the festive season's gifts. Fortunately, the folks over at J!NX have developed Minecraft wrapping paper, to give your gifts that addictive, yet weirdly constructive feeling.

It's not often that we get mail here at the Geekosystem offices, being as we are located in a dome underneath a lake. Every now and again a package finds its way to us, but few have been as wonderful as these homemade Star Wars holiday cards from artist Patrick McQuade. Not only is each a visual delight, each contains a perfectly awful pun on the inside. Thanks, Patrick. You made our day. See more pictures after the break.