One Atheist's Holiday Season

Nice. Thanks, Butrflynet.

This is a bit of a sour article but meant to be funny and rings a few bells from my distant past - a certain aunt, certain inlaws. Plus, the comments are interesting -

Author is Delia Epfron, to give you a heads up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/24/opinion/a-christmas-manners-quiz.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0

I miss all that a lot. The certain aunt (quite the character, lived high on a hill with fabulous view of San Francisco) and the in-laws, who lived in a village of coaches where children weren't welcome, especially a black one, and neither were pets - were all good people, even the mother in law who served lime jello with mustard. Plus they put up with me.

My girl cousins (the ones of my close generation) and I shared hosting Thanksgiving, whoever's turn, and all that was basically wonderful. Great food, sane talking even with disagreement. Christmas was a trial, driving quite far to one of the cousins' places (it was their mother's birthday on C. Eve, really her event, the transportation easier for her), going home late, and leaving early the next morning to drive another zillion miles to in-laws. We always had a following weekend open house at our house, jeans will be fine, both of us cooking and people bringing stuff, going for beach walk if it worked out (someone would stay in case friends showed up). Years of all that, a treasure.
J and I were not religious through any of it, the rest were. (Oh, wait, I can't say that about all the friends at the open house.)

Just had a wonderful dinner with my daughter, her family and her husband's wife. I was given a nice long sleeve shirt, a fruitcake, and a book: The Killing of Jesus. Then my daughter gave me some movies she no longer wanted to keep: The Clint Eastwood man with no name trilogy, which I already had on VHS, and the John Wayne collection of movies he made before he was a star - Which I had the same collection a long time ago, but had given away to somebody else. The fruitcake is one of the famous ones, but I can't recall the bakery name without checking.

That's funny, osso.

Happy 2014. See you all next holiday season.

Just listened to Susan Boyle sing O Holy Night. Very good version. I think this may be the lowest keyed Christmas my wife and I have had. We might visit, might stay home. Not much in the planning, just now. I haven't thought what to buy her. I just bought some fasteners to put on the house for permanent string light holders. Tired of working loose the staples and such. I will likely fence the yard display, to keep Rocky away. Lots of people have had lights up for a week or more.

I've spent all day putting up lights. 80% of my time was spent separating strings of lights and finding good fasteners to leave permanently on the house, for future hanging. My lights are a mix of older and brand new ones. Probably gonna look crappy, but I won't know for a few more hours. Still have deer and such for outside and then a tree for inside. Not sure how much protecting the tree will need from Rocky.

A four day holiday is taxing on an old geezer. Fortunately, I get to go to work tomorrow.

Happy Christmas Rocky

Happy Christmas Rocky
Happy happy Christmas Rocky
Make your wish list Rocky
Favorite bones and chew toys

You’re a busy doggy Rocky
Santa loves to see
Such a happy doggy Rocky
And so do we

Tonight when you slumber Rocky
If you hear sleigh bells on the roof
Don’t bother to wake up Rocky
Santa’s brought gifts for you

So happy Christmas Rocky
Happy happy Christmas Rocky
Happy happy happy Christmas
Happy happy happy Christmas

Hard to believe it has been eleven years since I started this thread. There is not a lot that can be added, other than that I have, if anything, become ever firmer in my convictions, concerning the need for tradition, love and altruism. I believe humanity has not been in a position more precarious than the one it is in today. It is for us each one to stand for that which is decent. To be tolerant for diversity and intolerant of bigotry. To be vigilant for peace in the face of cries for war. If we want to have a better world we have got to be better people. Merry Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas and peace to you, your family and friends, Edgar.

Well said; and I totally agree.

BTW, got home last night, and finally slept in my own bed. What a blessing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I truly wish everyone all the best in all things! However, the belief that if we want to have a better world we have got to be better people is inadequate because all the love, and brotherhood, and altruism and tolerance one might muster will not make any difference to mankind's survival unless accompanied with a dramatic reduction in the population else we will run out of clean water, clean air, clean soil, clean food, and a healthy planet-wide stable biodiversity. In fact we are running out of exactly these things and the evidence is more than abundant.

At present and at best, we live in a penny wise but pound foolish world.

Perhaps it is time to lighten up a bit.

Okay!

Every year, my son in law gives me his company gift of a COLLIN STREET BAKERY fruitcake. He said he wanted to eat it this year, but, as he has gotten in the habit of gifting them to me, he let me have it. I told him to keep it, but he insisted I take it. I did not need much persuading to accept it. Thank you Thank you Thank you

Enjoy your holiday meals and don't forget your lyre Nero:

◦ World Population +7 billion
◦ 805 million people – or one in nine people in the world – do not have enough to eat.
◦ 98% of the world’s undernourished people live in developing countries.
◦ Where is hunger the worst?
◦ Asia: 525.6 million
◦ Sub-Saharan Africa: 214 million
◦ Latin America and the Caribbean: 37 million

http://thp.org/knowledge-center/know-your-world-facts-about-hunger-poverty/

Actually, you should lighten up more than just a bit.