You May Tsk And Cluck

But gee, PDiddie. This is the time of the year when people realize that their GIFTS TO CHARITY ARE TAX DEDUCTABLE. (That, of course, has nothing to do with it... does it... huh?)

That is very sad indeed... I wonder why that day?

Oh, more news on the Winterval front. New Government legislation will ensure that 'offended' minorities can sue people who display cards on which the nativity scene is displayed. Strangely enough, Christians and Agnostics are very appreciative of Eid-al-fitr, Diwali, the Pesach, etc, and are willing to participate in them... but even the possibility of minorities participating in or tolerating the biggest festival in the world, Christmas, is madness, at least according to the British government.

You know, oer in England, we have 'Christmas in July.' What inspired commericalism!

I like Christmas.. but not the traditional 'let us play appalling music and see relatives whinge' prototype.

The Onion'sToy-Buying Tips for Parents:

**To determine a toy's safety, try these simple tests: Does your child choke on it? Does it produce welts, cuts, or bruises? Does it turn up whole or in fragments in your child's stool?

**Decide what you would like your child to be, then only buy toys that steer him or her in that direction.

**You can never go wrong buying your child a crystal-radio set. It's a great way for him or her to learn about crystal radios.

**Often, the best toys are the simplest. For example, sewing cards, through which a piece of yarn is laced, enhance a child's motor skills and teach the fundamentals of sewing...

**If one of your children is killed playing with a chemistry set, make a game of it by challenging your surviving children to reanimate him or her.

**One of the best educational toys you can buy your child is a pet. A rabbit, for example, can teach him or her about the life cycle, mammalian reproduction, toxicology, comparative anatomy, and cooking.

**Rounded edges on toys should be sharpened in case your child tries to chop vegetables with them.

**It's amazing how much kids can learn about chemistry the old-fashioned way. As soon as you get home from work, demand that they mix you an Old-Fashioned.

**After your child unwraps his or her new toy, throw it on the ground and stomp on it. If any small pieces break off, the toy is too dangerous for young children.

**Erector sets are a great way to get your pre-teen started on making juvenile sex puns.

**Buy your child expensive, collectible toys and forbid him or her to take them out of the box. This will teach your child valuable life lessons about longing, deprivation, and resentment.

piffka a piece of coal would be nice. I'll pm you my address. I appreciate the thought. After all, isn't that what counts?

I remember an old New Yorker cartoon, showing parents discussing a toy as a present for their child:

"Its designed to teach him about life. Whichever way he puts it together, it's always wrong"

This one, too, seems quite appropriate

I went to the shopping mall yesterday - just felt like picking up some clothes since I handt bought any new clothes for 2 weeks or so.

Waiting for almost 30 mins to find a place to park - even though the mall has valet parking if you pay for it, it was closed as they had run out of valet parking spaces. Trying to find something was impossible - there were so many people that you would think that they were giving away the clothes for free !!! Managed to find a couple of shirts which I liked - went to pay, waited for 30 mins in the queue - got so disgusted that left the clothes and came back home !!

PDiddie makes a good point about 'just in time for Christmas.' I suppose freakin' OCTOBER is 'just in time for Christmas' then.

Christmas in July, schmaltzy Christmas specials in October (invariably involving: a) little boy b) spirit of Christmas c) the nuclear family) and ridiculous queues... this is all evidence that everyone should join /my/ religion. Although spending three hours in a clerical frock isn't a great idea of fun, fully-fledged religions are charities in the UK... £££

People should just not take it so seriously! Try to chill out, buy a few presents, invite whom you want to invite (not whom you feel you should invite) and have a good time, as was intended... and don't forget the original meaning as well.

Speaking of the original meaning of Christmas....I need to share a story. Mrs. cav and I listen to a regular morning show on Q107, John Derringer. He has started a "13 days of Christmas" fund-raiser for abused children. This just started, and today's story was about a girl born to a drug-addicted mother, whose new boyfriend, the stepfather, brought three sons into the relationship who have been repeatedly raping the daughter. She is pregnant now, at 13, and while she will bear the child, it will be put up for adoption.

Yes, the law is involved. What bothers me is that it takes an annual commercialized holiday to bring horrible stories like this to light. I'm not sure I can handle 12 more days of tales like this, as this horrid crap should be attended to all year round. This happened right here in Toronto, and I feel like throwing up just typing this. Then, after I throw up, go on a hunt.

Original meaning?
I don't buy into that, since the Christians only adopted the Yule festival which went before.
And as far as I know, Yule was just a piss-up and a pig-out.
So, apparently nothing much has changed in 4000 years.
OK, maybe plus or minus a few sacrifices.

True enough, but hey, I'm Jewish, what the hell do I know? I still feel like a good hunt though, after that story, both for the dude responsible and for the people who use this kind of tragedy to extract money from folks. Where's my gun...

I don't know if "hunt" is the right word, Cav. "Shooting spree" comes to mind.

Grrrrrrrrrr!

We don't have to make Christmas awful. Yes, some folks do, but it doesn't HAVE to be you.

People need cyclical celebrations. We are born, live a certain number of years and die. My goal is to make those years bearable, therefore I celebrate each one and make each festive & memorable. If you don't want to celebrate Christmas, then celebrate the Solstice, the New Year, or whatever, whenever. You owe it to yourself... to the small time you've got here with the people you love... to take a break from the day-to-day and make some time every year that is extra special to you and yours.

Christmas just makes it easy, a socially-approved time for most of us to celebrate. There are people who haven't got it yet: who still struggle with the mundane, worry about their damn presents and fuss over who they'll willingly see. Oh well. You can cry about the other folks who also haven't got it... who beat their kids or worse. They are always there, too. They should be taken care of throughout the year, not just dwelt on now. That's a marketing gimmick.

See the ones you want... give the presents to those you love and rise above it, one way or another: get high, drink to excess, meditate, sing or dance your heart out, give extra to charity and/or go to church... whatever tickles your fancy. To point to some fools at Wal-Mart and say... this... this is why I don't like X... well, it doesn't have to change you. You aren't the fool and you weren't at Wal-Mart. It is a sad and stupid story, luckily it is not yours.

I prefer 'population redistribution programme'... although, 'shooting spree' is exactly what we should do.

I feel more in the holiday spirit already knowing I almost have a team here.

I should stop telling people what is my current favorite perfume. I got a THIRD bottle of it over the weekend !!!

I have had an epiffkany......I love Christmas again.......