Journal Sylver Dragon's Journal: Merry Christmas One and All 4
With the coming of Christmas, and the apparent fact that a few people actually read the crap I write, I wanted to take a moment to say Merry Christmas to everyone or whatever your particular religious overtones for the celebration of the Winter Solstice would say.
If you've read my journal for any length of time, you'll know that I'm not Christian, nor really religious at all. Fact is I'm probably best described as Agnostic. Still, Christmas is fun, and I see no reason to kill a good thing. Let's face it, the "traditional" Christmas (if there is such a thing) involves so many non-Christian and, in my view anti-Christian, things that it's kind of silly to be fighting over it.
This year I am going to light up the Christmas Tree (Thank you Germanic and Norse Pagan traditions) and put a few brightly wrapped presents under it (ala Saturnalia, Pax Imperium and all). Given that I live in Southern California, I expect that I will have to forgo the usual bundling up by the Yule Log (once again the Northern Pagans invade), as it doesn't get cold here. And I'll wait for the arrival of Klaus in the Cinders..er, Santa Claus....or, St. Nick, ya that's it.
The thing that always gets me about Christmas is the insane materialism which is expressed. It's all about having the right present; or, at the very least some sort of present. For goodness sake, people fight over toys at Christmas. Just going by the bumper sticker WWJD? I'm willing to bet that he wouldn't have punched someone in the face over a Tickle Me Elmo. More likely, he'd have gotten pissed that the whole "celebration of his birth" had been turned into one big profiteering festival. My fuzzy recollections of Sunday School (yes, I wasn't always a godless heathen) seem to include something about him going into the temple and raising holy hell about the market being run in it. WWJD? My guess is that it would look a heck of a lot like the Jehovah Witness version of Christmas.
Have I gotten caught up in it? You bet, I've been doing everything I can to get my wife the right present. Fortunately, this seems to be resolved, so I can relax on that part. Besides which, I was only willing to spend time and money, I wasn't going to get into a fight over it; it's not that important.
I'm also lucky in that my circle of close friends and I have finally figured out that exchanging gift cards is stupid. For the past several years, we have each bought each other gift cards (usually to the same damn store) and passed them around. Instead, we are going to go out, have dinner together, say Merry Christmas and then go see I am Legend. The cost will be similar, the restaurant is about $50 per person. But it will be much better overall.
Also, I once again failed to convince my family that I really don't need any more shit. Usually around Thanksgiving my family starts asking for my "list". With the volume of requests increasing as Christmas approaches. Though, to be honest, I was able to come up with one pretty easily this year. So, I have no reason to complain and every reason to be thankful. I have already received one of my gifts, but I imagine that there will be quite a bit left to open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the other day we are celebrating Christmas (need to check with the wife on when that was again). I swear, one day I am going to figure out a way to consolidate Christmas in my family to one day; though, that may simply be a matter of time as diabetes has been slowly reducing my list of people to buy for.
So, on that happy note: Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you have a pleasantly drunken New Year. (that is why we care about it, right?)
If you've read my journal for any length of time, you'll know that I'm not Christian, nor really religious at all. Fact is I'm probably best described as Agnostic. Still, Christmas is fun, and I see no reason to kill a good thing. Let's face it, the "traditional" Christmas (if there is such a thing) involves so many non-Christian and, in my view anti-Christian, things that it's kind of silly to be fighting over it.
This year I am going to light up the Christmas Tree (Thank you Germanic and Norse Pagan traditions) and put a few brightly wrapped presents under it (ala Saturnalia, Pax Imperium and all). Given that I live in Southern California, I expect that I will have to forgo the usual bundling up by the Yule Log (once again the Northern Pagans invade), as it doesn't get cold here. And I'll wait for the arrival of Klaus in the Cinders..er, Santa Claus....or, St. Nick, ya that's it.
The thing that always gets me about Christmas is the insane materialism which is expressed. It's all about having the right present; or, at the very least some sort of present. For goodness sake, people fight over toys at Christmas. Just going by the bumper sticker WWJD? I'm willing to bet that he wouldn't have punched someone in the face over a Tickle Me Elmo. More likely, he'd have gotten pissed that the whole "celebration of his birth" had been turned into one big profiteering festival. My fuzzy recollections of Sunday School (yes, I wasn't always a godless heathen) seem to include something about him going into the temple and raising holy hell about the market being run in it. WWJD? My guess is that it would look a heck of a lot like the Jehovah Witness version of Christmas.
Have I gotten caught up in it? You bet, I've been doing everything I can to get my wife the right present. Fortunately, this seems to be resolved, so I can relax on that part. Besides which, I was only willing to spend time and money, I wasn't going to get into a fight over it; it's not that important.
I'm also lucky in that my circle of close friends and I have finally figured out that exchanging gift cards is stupid. For the past several years, we have each bought each other gift cards (usually to the same damn store) and passed them around. Instead, we are going to go out, have dinner together, say Merry Christmas and then go see I am Legend. The cost will be similar, the restaurant is about $50 per person. But it will be much better overall.
Also, I once again failed to convince my family that I really don't need any more shit. Usually around Thanksgiving my family starts asking for my "list". With the volume of requests increasing as Christmas approaches. Though, to be honest, I was able to come up with one pretty easily this year. So, I have no reason to complain and every reason to be thankful. I have already received one of my gifts, but I imagine that there will be quite a bit left to open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the other day we are celebrating Christmas (need to check with the wife on when that was again). I swear, one day I am going to figure out a way to consolidate Christmas in my family to one day; though, that may simply be a matter of time as diabetes has been slowly reducing my list of people to buy for.
So, on that happy note: Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you have a pleasantly drunken New Year. (that is why we care about it, right?)
Holy crap, someone gets it! (Score:1)
Let's face it, the "traditional" Christmas (if there is such a thing) involves so many non-Christian and, in my view anti-Christian, things that it's kind of silly to be fighting over it.
For the past several years, we have each bought each other gift cards (usually to the same damn store) and passed them around. Instead, we are going to go out, have dinner together, say Merry Christmas and then go see I am Legend.
So, on that happy note: Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you have a pleasantly drunken New Year. (that is why we care about it, right?)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Merry Christmas to you too (Score:2)
Your comment about WWJD? Not punch out his neighbor over Tickle Me Elmo - that made me crack up. Thanks!