December, so I'd better do this now before I forget.
First of all, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted in my clown poll. Your answers were very interesting and thought provoking. Possibly I have just always been fortuneate in my encounters with them.
Now to the point of this post. A number of my flist have already mentioned that a few people in the world aren't happy with how the christmas season is going. Something about shopping centres saying 'holiday' instead of 'Christmas' ... because apparently that is offensive to them and what they believe christmas is all about. Which I don't quite get because hey, at least they're still saying it's a holy day. But anyway.
Now this is where my remembering what little I've read of the bible gets sketchy ... there was something about jesus being born ... and there were some guys who turned up with gifts for him ... and the gift giving thing apparently stuck around to honour this. Okay, good, religious aspect out of the way.
Now here's what I believe christmas to be about. Presents. Okay, okay ... friends & family and presents. Christmas is the time of giving. It's nearly the end of the year and you get to show you appreciate those you care about by buying them something you hope they'll like.
Now admittedly we should be doing this all year round but let's face it, it's just easier if they give us a day and a deadline to make sure we get at least one good effort in before the new year starts.
So give your gifts and your time and your patience (and your sanity ...) this year and try not to be too upset if your preferred name of the day doesn't make it into the junk mail or presidential mailouts. Shakespeare said something about if roses weren't called roses, it wouldn't stop them from being roses (I can't find my copy to check if the quote I remember from Claire Danes is accurate and google just sent me to Flora International ...ETA: girlsigh says "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." and I'll trust her on it.) and no matter what you celebrate, christmas, chanukkah, winter/summer solstice, just remember that it's about letting people know you care.
And if anyone's wondering, no my family's not religious, but we still call it christmas and have a good day with great food and just having fun. It doesn't get much better than that.
Have a great holiday and thanks for keeping me entertained and informed over the year.
Now to the point of this post. A number of my flist have already mentioned that a few people in the world aren't happy with how the christmas season is going. Something about shopping centres saying 'holiday' instead of 'Christmas' ... because apparently that is offensive to them and what they believe christmas is all about. Which I don't quite get because hey, at least they're still saying it's a holy day. But anyway.
Now this is where my remembering what little I've read of the bible gets sketchy ... there was something about jesus being born ... and there were some guys who turned up with gifts for him ... and the gift giving thing apparently stuck around to honour this. Okay, good, religious aspect out of the way.
Now here's what I believe christmas to be about. Presents. Okay, okay ... friends & family and presents. Christmas is the time of giving. It's nearly the end of the year and you get to show you appreciate those you care about by buying them something you hope they'll like.
Now admittedly we should be doing this all year round but let's face it, it's just easier if they give us a day and a deadline to make sure we get at least one good effort in before the new year starts.
So give your gifts and your time and your patience (and your sanity ...) this year and try not to be too upset if your preferred name of the day doesn't make it into the junk mail or presidential mailouts. Shakespeare said something about if roses weren't called roses, it wouldn't stop them from being roses (I can't find my copy to check if the quote I remember from Claire Danes is accurate and google just sent me to Flora International ...ETA: girlsigh says "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." and I'll trust her on it.) and no matter what you celebrate, christmas, chanukkah, winter/summer solstice, just remember that it's about letting people know you care.
And if anyone's wondering, no my family's not religious, but we still call it christmas and have a good day with great food and just having fun. It doesn't get much better than that.
Have a great holiday and thanks for keeping me entertained and informed over the year.