The presumption of Christianity is a stifling one.

I dunno. Is "Merry Christmas" automatically presuming Christianity? Christmas seems the big nationwide party in the U.S. I take "Merry Christmas" as "enjoy the party!" not "Hola fellow Christian!".

I will point out that there is some rational basis for taking it this way. After all Yule is a much older festival than Christmas; adapted by the Christian churches when they gave up trying to stop the old pagan celebration, and slapped a Christian label on it instead. In point of fact the Puritans, at least some of whom where the ideological ancestors of the Christian right, came to this country in part to escape the British practice of Christmas. Up till the early eighteen century, Christmas was outlawed in large parts of New England; people observing it were fined. So Christmas in a way represents a victory of people who like to have fun over po-faced fundamentalists.

billytea, damn, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you were home to be able to spend Christmas with her.

In other news, it took me almost six hours to drive home from NJ. It was snowing like a thing that snows for the last four hours of that, but I think my key mistake was deciding to take the Jersey Turnpike, instead of the G.S. Parkway, not realizing that the Jets-Patriots game at the Meadowlands would let out just as I reached that exit. Feh.

I didn't think it was possible, but Super Milk Chan (a Japanese cartoon on Adult Swim) has gotten even weirder. Plus tonight's episode is satirizing the US military.

I dunno. Is "Merry Christmas" automatically presuming Christianity? Christmas seems the big nationwide party in the U.S. I take "Merry Christmas" as "enjoy the party!" not "Hola fellow Christian!".

I guess it is for you. For me, Christmas is like Hanukkah, and I wouldn't wish a Christian Happy Hanukkah any more than I'd wish a Jewish person Merry Christmas.

They're different parties.

Yule? Solstice? Different parties.

I dunno. Is "Merry Christmas" automatically presuming Christianity? Christmas seems the big nationwide party in the U.S. I take "Merry Christmas" as "enjoy the party!" not "Hola fellow Christian!".

To someone who is non-Christian, yes it is. I talked to a friend just about this because she was saying how offended she was by the assumption of christianity (which she is not) based on people wishing her a merry christmas.

ita, there was coco bread? now am sad.

It's still the 26th here!

Happy Birthday to Jesse, Theodosia, and Rayne.

Today was a very long day, but a very good one. I have cool friends and pretty new clothes.

It's kind of weird in that my parents are about the only actual Christians at my family's big Christmas gathering - I'm not technically a believer and most of the rest of our family that's there is Jewish. Any excuse to get everyone together to eat and exchange presents, though. We've pretty much just bought into the whole commercialized celebration of family togetherness thing.

Thinking about it, it's kind of as if that Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving painting had an empty place setting at the table for Elijah.

I'm the only non-Christian in my family. My parents don't know this, as from their point of view, not being a Christian (and ending up in Hell) is the worst thing that could happen to anyone, and I don't want to put them through that.

Yeah, I'm not telling my folks I'm an atheist. It would break their hearts.

eta

How fitting is my post number?