and busses might skid on black ice

such a wintry mix. i don't usually ride the bicycle on thursdays, and i kind of appreciate not having to deal with the glop. i am also coming down with a sort of cold, and may in fact stay home tomorrow if i feel crappy enough.

there seems to be a lot of bluster in the news media about wishing "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas". i'm not certain how the lines are being drawn; nobody seems to like it, but for different reasons.

myself, i would prefer for merchandisers not to wish me a merry christmas. there is certainly nothing christian about their expectations of my spending habits this time of year (or any time, for that matter; to be sure, however, their expectations are greatly heightened during this season). presuming that i am christian is not so much offensive as it is rude, or stupid; they would be no less presumptuous just because they happened, by chance, to be correct. some folks argue that there is a secular tradition of celebrating christmas in this country, but those persons should consider why it may be that there is not a corallary secular tradition of celebrating, for example, ramadan. or even rosh hashanah. christmas was made a federal holiday during the 19th century, not a time when the u.s. was exactly known the world over for its sensitivity to minorities. i see it as yet another example of how christians get a free pass in what is supposed to be a secular society. christians of all people should know it is what’s in your heart that matters, and that validation by wal-mart or the white house is unnecessary.

for our part, in our home we keep christmas in a manner consistent with our faith. this includes some of the pagan holdovers like tree trimming, as well as being mindful of the meaning of advent. nothing more need be said, really (except the american family association can kiss my ass). speaking of trees, we got a fraser fir this year, which i’ve always wanted to do. throw in a couple of mountain ashes and some rhododendrons and it’ll be just like the black mountains in north carolina...