I've said it before... I love Christmas.
It has been a long time, 5 years, since I've had a wonderful Christmas. In 2006 I spent Christmas at the hospital with Won. In 2007 and 2008 our holidays were severely scaled back due to Won's health and our finances. And then things got worse.
I spent 2010 recovering. And now... well, I've found someone special. Yea, I'm just as surprised as anyone! And we're planning Christmas together.
So for the first time in 5 years, I've been able to pull out my decorations. And Wendy and I decorated our tree. See the Bumble front and center? Did I mention that I have a Bumble ornament? Unfortunately, my Star Trek "Catspaw" ornament didn't survive the move. It, along with the Christmas tree skirt, and some other bits and pieces has disappeared or been thrown away.
I've had the chance to do a little baking this year. (Chocolate pecan pie!) But mostly I've spent the weekends enjoying the warm weather by working in my back yard wearing jeans and a T-shirt. After building a fence in my backyard, I'm working on building an insulated doghouse. I'm still working on aquaponics and gardening too - I plan to do a lot of that over my vacation. Yea, I'm taking 2 weeks off - the first time I've done that since before Won's health got bad.
So, I said before that I enjoy the holiday season. This week I plan to walk down Fresno's "Christmas Tree Lane" - something that I've never done before. I'm looking forward to seeing the "controversial" Christmas display that doesn't mention Jesus.
I understand that some people believe it is "hypocritical" for an atheist to celebrate and enjoy Christmas. But I don't get that. Yea, I have a tree, I have lights, I have snowmen in the front yard (well, on a flag, and made of wood and metal - no snow here!)
There are no overt Christian symbols in my decorations - and haven't been since I became an atheist and retired the tree-top angel almost two decades ago. The tree and decorations are certainly not a Christian symbol, as stated in the Bible.
This going to be a good Christmas. I'll celebrate the Winter Solstice with my friends, and then Wendy and I will celebrate Christmas. There will be good food, good company, some treats, some time around a nice fire, and even some presents.
I'll sing a few of my favorite Christmas Songs, enjoy some brandy and egg nog, and finally get to see what's inside of that red present under the tree.
I hope you will also have a great Christmas. And if you would like to share some Christmas spirit with others may I recommend Doctors without Borders, KIVA, and Scouting for All?
2 comments:
Robin Smith, I've removed your post due to a violation of rule #6 in my Comment Moderation Policy.
Your post was advertising spam that had nothing to do with the text of my post.
I like Christmas, too.
I don't even mind that my wife collects nativity scenes and has them all over the house. They're culturally fun, especially the biggest one, in which the Baby Jesus has blue eyes and red hair, while Joseph looks like Chuck Norris. Winter festivals have been around a lot longer than Christianity, but it is undeniable that Christianity has played a historical part in shaping our modern holiday—just like paganism, commercialism, popular music, Charles Dickens, and all sorts of other things. (And speaking of the historical influences on our modern Christmas holiday, I highly recommend Stephen Nissenbaum's The Battle for Christmas. I should re-read it myself.)
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