Hell is other people, we are told. But Allan Gurganus wrote that Heaven is other people, too -- just other other people. They may be annoying, loud, clumsy people who snap at you and take your money. But they remind you -- especially if you are sated and numb, as so many are at the holidays -- that you are alive and your senses work and you are part of something bigger than your cul-de-sac. It's a nice reminder to have.