How to Own Christmas

Reblogged from Invisible Mikey:

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13,000 Santas in Londonderry - @Arthur Allison

Over time, the best and worst in people becomes concentrated and specified.  The dual nature of Christmas is a superb example.

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Since I'm getting a number of hits on this old article, I guess it's time to bring it back!

Getting in the Spirit

A Newsy Post you can Sing Along With

Life is Beautiful (1997)

The time between Halloween and New Year’s Day seems to go by faster every year.  I’m doing less than I used to, on purpose, but it still feels like activities, responsibilities, even the passage of hours speeds up.

Thanks All Round

It’s been a good week.  The rest of the country has been uncomfortably hot, but until yesterday it was raining most days in my little town, and I sometimes felt sad without reason.  I chose to live at the geographic edge of a rain forest.  It would be silly to expect it to be drier.  Perhaps I’m still adjusting to not living in the artificial oasis of El Lay.

To Our Honored Dead

A Memorial Day Observance

My feelings about holidays that commemorate and accept war as a historical inevitability are complicated.  I realize that millions have sacrificed their lives in acts of service to the nation.  That’s a deeply honorable choice, worthy of great respect.  However, wars aren’t really winnable, any more than executing murderers prevents murder.

The Leavening

An extraordinary, miraculous effect occurs as one calendar year begins preparing an exit and the next one prepares for birth.  There’s a lightening of mood.

Valentines in Kindergarten

(When I re-read what I posted this time last year, I realized I can’t say it any better.  So, here it is again.  Maybe this will become my annual “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”.)

Kindergarten was awful at first, then wonderful.