Why do they act that way?

"Dear Cocoa,

My pets have been acting rather strangely over the last few days and I can't figure out why.  Here are the details:  they have been drinking a liquid that makes them act silly; they have been talking about improving themselves; they have been putting out lots of tinsel-like decorations (but always too high for me to have any fun); and they have been giving me and my housemates several hugs a day (highly suspicious if you ask me).  Can you explain?

Signed Worried"

"Dear Worried,

It is the season I'm afraid.  You see right around this time of the year our human pets begin to think about starting over (yes I said starting over).  They try to change what they have been doing all of their lives, and they try to change their work and home scheduling.  After much study and research, I have concluded that it is some type of behavioral modification program put in place by the aliens who control the humans in their behavioral patterns; in other words, humans are sometimes impossible to understand.  Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but sometimes we just have to shake our heads and accept that humans are strange.

Signed Cocoa"