By Ryan Greis

The holiday season is upon us again, and we're here to help with some fun and a little information. CityBeat's eighth annual Holiday Issue offers the usual skewed take on holiday traditions and issues, this year focusing on "odysseys."

So you'll see stories on the impact of terrorist attacks on holiday travel, the long journey to make the Lord of the Rings films and the trials and tribulations of surviving Christmas with your family.

Looking for something different to do this holiday season? Try some whacked-out monologue productions. Gift ideas? Try new takes on "The Night Before Christmas," weird holiday CDs and gifts for the paranoid people in your life. Or give the gift of slack. Or don't.

We thank our regular Holiday Issue illustration elves, Jim Browning (main cover) and Ryan Greis (insert cover and inside images). It wouldn't be Christmas without their strange, lovely artwork.

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Silent Night, Holy Night
Many are chaotic and full of fright

Life Has to Go On
But holiday travel will still be a journey fraught with delays, unexpected problems and crowds

Ring-a-Ling-Ling
The strange odyssey that's Lord of the Rings is just beginning

Yule (mono) Logs
Exposing the dirty underbelly of Santa's elves and reindeer

The Ghosts of X-mas Past
The value (and sanity) of new traditions

Travelin' Man
A new take on "The Night Before Christmas" makes Santa a Cajun, a Texan, a cowboy, a teacher ...

Defining New Standards
Christmas chestnuts getting stale? Try making these quirky offerings your new holiday classics

Give the Gift of Slack
Well, y'know, if you feel like it ...