Merry Christmas!
Things here in the Dead-Logic universe have been on the slower side lately. I haven't written as much, and what I have posted lately has been short and sweet, and that's okay. I've been taking things easy lately. And life goes on as it normally does, especially during this time of year. Another End of the World has come and gone. Those who deny they're waging a war against women will continue to pretend that there's a "War on Christmas." Fox News needs something to talk about, after all. Consumerism will still be the one true god of the holiday season for many people, theist and non-theist alike. But my intention here isn't to be the Christmas Cynic. I can't help but enjoy Christmas.
I really like Christmas... |
"Why celebrate Christmas if you don't celebrate Christ?" Look around, my friend. Most people celebrate Christmas without celebrating Christ. Even those fine folks who wear the "Christian" label. Yes, there are those who genuinely celeberate the birth of the Messiah (using pagan symbols, ironically), but for most people, Christmas is a cultural practice less about religion and more about a time to gather around family and friends, to think about the ones we love and express that love through food, spending time together, and of course the (often reciprocal) giving of gifts.
[via SBuzzard]
Jesus might get the occasional head nod or the perfunctory lip service, but people celebrate Christmas because it's tradition - and tradition almost always rules over all.
Tradition becomes a problem when it overrides reason and causes people to ignore evidence (spoken like an honest-to-goodness freethinker, n'est-ce pas?), but I'm not opposed to all tradition per se, and not all tradition is bad. I like Christmas. Admittedly, Christmas is for me - as it is for many others - a time when feelings of sadness and loss are their strongest. There hasn't been a Christmas in the past six years in which I haven't had to spend a little time by myself where no one can see me wiping away tears. But as for the holiday itself, I like it. I like seeing the first snowfall of the year that reminds me the holidays are approaching. I like Christmas trees and stockings and Christmas carols. I may complain about crowds, but I actually like walking around a crowded mall, seeing people flitter about, for good or ill, to finish acquiring all the material objects they think will make for the best Christmas ever - or at least another tolerable Christmas. I'm a last-minute shopper. Always have been. I finished my shopping yesterday, which is actually an early finish for me. So I can spend my Christmas Eve preparing for the celebration of the birthday of a very important person in history...
Finally, here's an update on the Decembeard:
Have yourself a manly little Christmas.
— Dead-Logic
