Oh, I'm not refuting that, Juliana. I'm just saying it's pretty funny to me that Christmas is a firm overlay on other traditions already.

Christmas is a firm overlay on other traditions already

Also, December 25th was the birthday of the god Mithras.

As much as I've turned into a lapsed Catholic, bordering on agnostic, if I have to go to Mass, I'd much rather go to a more traditional one than one of the progressive churches that are turning themselves more Protestant to get more butts in the pews.

No kneelers, singing all of the stuff that used to be chanted (which throws me off if I'm in an unfamiliar church, because no one uses the same melody), holding hands for the Our Father (and raising them at the "for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever" bit)--all of this reminds me more of the time I went to a Lutheran service than the Catholic service I was raised with.

remember my rant about homework over the Thanksgiving school break. mac's homework for Christmas break:

book responses (2-6 sentences) for every weekday he is out, yes, even Christmas day
a snowman themed writing assignment
an alphabet word association writing assignment (done last night to get it DONE)
an "all about me, fill-in the blank sheet.
3-4 math pages
10 words of the day - to write 5 times eacha nd make sentences for
one more thing I am forgetting.

HATE. This time I am writing a note. No way, no how is he doing homework over Feb. and April break. Here's my homework for the teacher and the school: look-up the work BREAK and write out the full definition for me and then 5-6 sentences integrating that definition with your school policy for homework over the 2008/09 "breaks".

No kneelers, singing all of the stuff that used to be chanted (which throws me off if I'm in an unfamiliar church, because no one uses the same melody), holding hands for the Our Father (and raising them at the "for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever" bit)--all of this reminds me more of the time I went to a Lutheran service than the Catholic service I was raised with.

Seriously? Ugh. Lapsed as I am, one of the things I always liked best about Catholicism was how it's a very private sort of service. Certain things you do together, but for the most part, it's... I dunno, quiet and internal, for lack of a better word.

I'm watching NORAD track santa. So cute.

Also, it seems a little early to me. Shouldn't it be around midnight that he arrives?

Also also, cold. PLEASE send the heat miser.

msbelle, I'm so relieved that what is going on has a relatively easy fix. I hope things go smoothly with scheduling and what not.

Hmm. As a kid I watched every Christmas special. And we always had a "Chanukah bush", even though it drove our neighbors crazy. (We lived in a Jewish neighborhood.) Of course my father worked for a company that manufactured Christmas ornaments and grew Christmas trees. The Controller/CFO was also Jewish.

I don't think any Christmas special was actually forbidden in our house, just some were more welcome than others.

I just remembered, we used to have Valentine's Day parties. When we were in elementary school or so, my sister and I would both invite all our friends, and we'd serve heart-shaped cookies and cupcakes with pink frosting and stuff like that, and watch a Chipmunks Valentines special. (There was one other cartoon Valentine's Day thing -- maybe the Smurfs?) None of our other friends had Valentines parties, and I suspect much of the rationale for having one was that, by the time it got to be February in New Jersey, everything was just cold and grey and wet and dismal, and a pink party seemed like a good idea.

ok, mostly it's nothing. small out-patient operationy type thing sometime in January. Waiting to confirm a date. Should be back to work the next day or day after.

That's excellent news!

Yay, msbelle!

Christmas is a firm overlay on other traditions already

Any tradition is. Chanukah is lighting candles at solstice time. Thanksgiving is the same as a thousand other harvest festivals. Spring festivals likewise. People explode and burn shit to celebrate military victories. People honor their dead in ways that almost invariably seem odd to outsiders. Cultures adopt and adapt customs every time they encounter another culture. All of it is "pagan" because that just means "pre-monotheistic".

It's when traditions are invented that it gets weird. Though Kwanzaa might catch on better now that they have that great cake...