Random Bits of Noise

[howeird]

Keep meaning to mention this: The hummingbird feeders are exactly at the levels they were when I left on vacation November 7. I miss them little critters.

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Bah Humbuggery:
I am happy so many people find joy in holiday parties and events. I am sad about the same thing because:

- One can find a reason to party and give gifts any day of the year, there is no reason to horde it all during one short week.

- The alleged holiday is based on such a flimsy mythconception that anyone with an IQ larger than his shoe size ought to see right through.

- The trappings of the holiday (snowmen, reindeer, etc.) have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday's source. Bethlehem has no snow, no fir trees.

- It's up to us, not someone who died 2,000 years ago, to bring about peace on earth. And we should be working towards this goal every day of our lives, not just this week.

My big sister used to look up birthdays of her favorite authors, and throw parties on them. Robert Louis Stevenson's was the most popular.

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Mom is snowbound - she lives in Seattle. Last week she was transferred to a temporary care facility, and was due to go home Saturday, but it keeps snowing, and Mom & Dad's apartment is toward the top of one of the steeper hills, the care place is toward the bottom of another steep hill a few miles south.

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Comments

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

Hope your mom gets back to the house so that she can more easily be with your dad. Though with all the power outages up there, he might be better off moving in with her. Most facilities have back up generators.

The need for festivals at this time of year has a known psychological element. Partying when SAD is highest helps a little. And so does lighting candles and eating latkes (carbo loading for SAD). Draydel games are fun too. The trick is to know that is what is needed and USE it. Not mourn for what is missing and make your SAD worse. Unfortunately, most people do the later. *sigh*
Tolkien's Birthday is Jan 3 - One should do a Birthday toast to "The Professor", take a sip, then sit down and finish the drink.
Oh, Robert Luis Stevenson did write a lot of books that would make for a fun party. Pirates, I'm channeling Pirates.

[howeird]

SAD = Sudden Adult Death ?

I would argue that the need for festivals this time of year is offset by the depression into which they send people who are not hapy with their lot in life, don't get along with family, don't have family nearby, etc.

Mom & Dad live in a seniors apartment buiding which has a big ole emergency generator, so either way would be good.

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

SAD = Seasonal Affective Disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder)

[satyapriya.livejournal.com]

I like that idea of throwing parties for fave authors. I'm going to adopt it for 2009.

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

Strictly speaking, much of the trappings of the holiday season have quite a bit to do with the holiday's source... pagan winter solstice. (After all, the days are getting longer again so it's not fimbulwinter) Much of what people see as "Christmas" got pulled over from Yule, which people conveniently forget is NOT a Christian thing.

*shrug*

If it makes people happy, why should I shit on their parade?

[howeird]

You know what I meant by source. I'm not raining on their parade - as I said I'm happy they are happy. I just wish they were this happy all year, for better reasons.

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

*nod*

The parade comment wasn't directed at you, but rather me... and besides, it was pretty clear that your take is much the same by how you opened.

And yes, I knew what you meant by source... just pointing out that some of our circle finds meaning other than Christian in the holiday.

[bridget-coila.livejournal.com]

Just as a small side note- I think pretty much ALL holidays are wrapped up in trappings of things that have nothing to do with the original "source."
I mean, what do kids dressed up as Superman have to do with All Hallow's Eve or Samhain? Then there are Easter Eggs, Green Beer and pinching people on St. Patrick's Day, Barbecues for 4th of July... even fireworks for New Years.
I think the point is that people came up with fun or meaningful things to do at particular times of the year (which may or may not be tied in with holidays of earlier eras) and they enjoy getting together to do those things. People like rituals and people like celebration. I think that is part of human nature.

Then again, I come from a place that throws parties for any excuse. I mean, we have jazz funerals...

B

[howeird]

people came up with fun or meaningful things to do at particular times of the year
Good point. I guess my gripe is with the overpowering emphasis on Christmas over all the others, and the total disconnect between the holiday and the event it purports to celebrate.

Dressing up as a ghost on a day devoted to ghosts and daemons makes sense, and I see the comic book costumes as a short skip from that.

Eggs are a symbol of life and resurrection, a direct representation of Easter. Also, Easter is meticulously celebrated on the Biblically correct day, even though it means using the Hebrew calendar.

Ireland's color is green, the Irish love beer, St. Patrick is Ireland's saint, so green beer on St. Patrick's day works for me. And they celebrate it on the right day.

BBQs on the 4th of July is an artifact of it being a summertime holiday. If the 4th of July was celebrated with snowmen, I'd be upset. And again, it's celebrated on the right day.

Fireworks at New Years? Never heard of that being a given. At 4th of July, yes, and that makes sense because rockets played a significant part in our fight for independence. Star Spangled Banner and all that.

But Christmas does it ALL wrong. Wrong time of the year, wrong weather-related symbols, even the wrong gift giving tradition - after all the wise men gave gifts only to the holy baby. Following the example, Christians should be giving gifts only to the church this holiday.