Holiday FYI
I like xmas. I'm not a christian and never plan to be one but so far as I see it, xians don't have a hegemony on giving gifts, eating rich fattening foods and loving on their families. So, if you have some sociopolitical beef with the holidays, do me a favor and put it behind a cut. No amount of arguing is going to shake my love of the holiday season. Yes, there's all kindsa negative potential in the holidays but so fucking what? Xmas, like any other holiday, is what you make it. If you want to give gifts, and enjoy the special feeling that comes with making someone smile, great! if you want to sit in your lonely apartment, drink a bunch of liquor and mutter "bah humbug!" at the world, don't let me stand in your way. But don't act like anyone is "ruining the true meaning of the holidays" for you. No one is holding a gun to your head and making you say "season's greetings!" and no one is twisting your arm to make you dress up like santa. If you don't like the symbolism or the commercialism or the history or whatever gets your goat about OTHER PEOPLE'S enactment, then don't participate. I have a great holiday every year despite other people trying to rain on the seasonal parade. THere are things I do from tradition and things I do not. I don't hold the rest of society responsible for how I choose to celebrate.