Happy Holidays Thread

Yes, a merry chrismas, a happy hannukah, a cool kwanza, and a complacent do-nothing-day (for the atheist/agnostic group). May we ring in a new year in 2005 with hopes and dreams for a better world. Though the chances of life getting better are pretty slim, it’s nice to know that life can’t keep getting worse forever. See you in 2005!

Earlier in 2004 I was having great thoughts of either a Felber Administration or at least a Kerry Administration, but all my hopes were dashed in November. It was the topper to a really strange 2004 for me and for many other people I know!

To all the Felberites here, may 2005 be a better year, one where peace may break out somewhere, where people are not killing and being killed, and where the economy and environment may get better instead of worse. And if that can’t or won’t happen, do something every day for the people you encounter to make their world a nicer place, just for a minute or two!

Joyous Solstice.

Now here’s a holiday I can get behind. No religion, or history to fight over, and it’s universal, (at least here on earth). It also lets you know that this is as dark as it gets. From here on the daylight gets longer, even if we don’t see the effects for a while, (despite what folks say the DAY stays the same length). The people in Australia can celebrate the daylight being its longest!

Maybe the Winter Solstice can be a metaphor for our political lives. It may be a while before things get better but this is the bottom.

Happy Solstice.

Wow, I leave for a week and I miss all the latest posts.

The cynic in me says that we’re going to see a lot more shit fall this coming year with Dubya and his “man date” with the Saudis or whoever we’re pandering to next. But nevertheless, happy holidays. Even if the focus is on a winter holiday to commemorate the birth of Jesus during the wrong season as a means to compete with the Roman orgy-fests at the end of the year, it still has meaning for a lot of people, and a pleasant vacation period when people are likely to be depressed by the weather anyway.

Have a good one, y’all.

Thinking of you all fondly and daring to hope awhile as we move into the new year.

Gods bless.

You’ve all lightened my days in these dark times; I’m glad you’re all here, starting with Adam but certainly including all the posters.

I’m with the solstice crew - nobody can argue about the beneficial effects of lengthening daylight!

Just keep things in perspective: people have been saying (in various languages) that the world is going to hell in a handbasket for millennia now (the example I recall fondly is an Egyptian papyrus ca. 2,500 B.C.E. and at least a thousand years before the actual demise of Pharaonic Egypt), and yet, in the last millennium or so we’ve stopped doing a few of our more offensive habits (we don’t burn witches anymore, f’rinstance). Cautious optimism is the ticket, here, and a VERY long historical view.

But for the love of whatever deity you worship: PLEASE don’t say, “It can’t get any worse.” Don’t give it ideas. It can get worse. I said that one year, and my next TWO years were a continuous toboggan slide.

Who wants to take me out and get me drunk on New Years?

I love you guys!

Link
Our first New Years here in wilds of south central PA was a real eye opener. All of my neighbors (none are closer than a 1/4 mile), at the stroke of midnight, blasted holes in the sky with their 12 gauges. It doesn’t pay to go to bed early.
(I hope that they were shooting at the sky).

Murray, I was speaking pretty broadly about my “neighbors;” it’s more or less the entire population that goes nuts. However, I’ll take firecrackers over shotguns (as long as they leave the damned aerials alone!).

Though, damn, scrolling back, Apathetes is good. Sounds latter-day Oscar and Beardsley but politicized.

Sounds like I may be the only one here who celebrated Christmas as a religious holiday — I hope that doesn’t disqualify me from the ranks! Anyhoo, I too wish everyone a happy celebration of the season and have glued my fingers in the crossed position for 2005. I keep thinking that we’re at the bottom of the parabola, but there’s really no way of knowing how bad things can and will get.

About the solstice. Sure, we in the northern hemisphere get to celebrate the return of the sun and longer days, but those in the southern half of the world are going to watch their days get shorter. I’ve always wondered what that does to the commercialist aspects of Christmas — you know, the images of snow, Santa Claus in the North Pole, sleighbells, In the Bleak Midwinter, etc.

And “God” bless us each and everyone!!

I was away the last two weeks but all here were in my thoughts. May you have a wonderful, prosperous and healthful 2005!