Um, hi? Remember me?

Nilly! I swear I was just thinking of you, and how long it had been since I'd seen you around here, as I iced the carrot cake for dessert tomorrow. I hope you are well. I hope you enjoy the growing light over Hanukkah. It's also apt this time of year, because the days are just starting to get longer, at least in this hemisphere.

You can also follow Santa on Twitter:

[link]

Also, I am thanking the heavens for the Bones marathon on Fox. It's such a relief from Xmas specials.

I was raised Catholic, in a very Catholic city, and it wasn't until I joined the FAC (a non-denominational evangelical Protestant church) that I ever heard anyone suggest that Catholics aren't Christians. (Of course, they also pretty much believed that any other people who claimed to be Christians -- but weren't in the FAC -- probably weren't *actually* Christians.

This is very much my experience too. I will note, as an atheist too anti-Catholic prejudice still makes little sense to me. I mean, if Catholics aren't Christian, Protestants are pretty much screwed, since their claim to authenticity heads stright through the Roman Catholic church. Christ told Peter he was founding a church, not writing a book.

And yet it took me 4 years to leave them, despite the fact that when a group claims to be the ONLY "true believers," that's a strong-ass sign of being a cult.

Took me ten years to leave mine. You're not doing so badly.

Oy. Dude must not be comfortable with himself or his traditions, then. One can celebrate/co-opt Christmas in one's own secular/agnostic/pagan way, but there's really no denying that Christmas is at root a Christian holiday, Jesus-y parts and all.

My FAC was happy to deny it. It doesn't have Christian origins. It was a Roman festival celebrating the rebirth of the sun (hence the winter solstice timing) that was co-opted by the early Christian church because it was popular. My FAC kept the feasts in the Pentateuch.

Christianity is like the English language, it co-opts from pretty much everything it's come into contact with.

I'm watching It's A Wonderful Life. There's sure a lot of drinking for a movie that mostly takes place during Prohibition. In the scene where George and Mary get married, which is around 1930, I think, the cop gives them a bottle of champagne. And they're openly discussing how much gin to drink at the high school dance, which is May or June of 1928.

I'm watching It's A Wonderful Life. There's sure a lot of drinking for a movie that mostly takes place during Prohibition. In the scene where George and Mary get married, which is around 1930, I think, the cop gives them a bottle of champagne. And they're openly discussing how much gin to drink at the high school dance, which is May or June of 1928.

Ooh! The NY Times had a fascinating article about IAWL. Basically that being George sucks, and he's still going to jail. [link]

Yeah, I saw that. There was a similar one in Salon a few years ago, too, which basically concluded that Pottersville was a way better town than Bedford Falls. I liked the conclusion in the Times one that, in the long run, Pottersville would have done better economically, since entertainment is pretty much the only industry that's doing well in upstate NY.

Basically that being George sucks, and he's still going to jail.

Being George sucks was always my opinion. But according to the movie he is not going to jail.

Yeah legally George is supposed to go to jail regardless. Except the auditor had said that since it was Christmas he would not put George in jail if he got the money back. In short, because George gets the money back the auditor is not going to report it ever having been missing. Though if higher authorities find out about it, it could be both George AND the auditor are going to jail.

It cracks me up that IAWL is seen as a feel-good Christmas movie.

I have survived trips to two grocery stores. I really should have gone this morning. On the upside, I've finally finalized the menu for my Boxing Day supper:

To eat:
spiced nuts
cauliflower soup with curried apple
gingerbread pancakes with two different sauces (maple syrup apples and citrus cranberry)
sweet apple chicken sausage
frisée and apple salad with dried cherries and walnuts
cranberry-maple pudding cake

To drink:
hot buttered spiced cider
Mike’s milk punch (which looks like it will be similar to the Brandy Alexanders we had on Christmas Eve in my family)

Happy Chrismukkah everyone! I must admit, this "Merry Christmas!" stuff in stores here still makes me do a double-take. It seems so un-PC for San Francisco.

I must admit, this "Merry Christmas!" stuff in stores here still makes me do a double-take. It seems so un-PC for San Francisco.

K-Bug has been here a couple of days and has done double takes when store clerks and such have wished her a "Merry Christmas". She is going to be even more surprised to hear that they are doing that in SF too.

The kids are off with their dad for the evening. In years past we have spent Christmas eve at my dad's. This year the kids are at their dad's - feels like opposite land.

Suzi!!

Yeah, this is my first Christmas without family. There are many advantages to this, but, talking to my niece and nephew on the phone made me a bit sad. It feels weird.

Also, if I had known I wasn't going to have to work today, I might have considered going back East more seriously.