The water cooler (as if we had one) discussion at “work” the other night was over the supposed Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays flap much ballyhooed by the Christian police and in which Pres. and First Lady Bush have taken a stand abandoning Christmas. The consensus (almost) was that it’s ridiculous for Jewish people to mind being told to have a “Merry Christmas.” Right.
I noted that our company will be closed Monday, Dec. 26, which this year is the first days of both Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, although it has nothing whatsoever to do with the traditional Christian holiday. Everyone was silent for a moment, then agreed that whatever you want to call it, they’ll be happy to take the day off.
We at Pensito Review took a poll of our holiday efforts in each of our three corners. Jon, the California half, purchased and decorated the standard conifer, as he said, ala the “Currier & Ives snowy day that is LA in December.” He also put together the fabulous holiday greeting from the staff here at PR, which you can enjoy in the upper right column of our homepage until we need the space for something else. Note the absence of the C-word.
Buck, ever the sentimental one, and still recovering from the recent South Florida storms, said –
We did not do a “real” holiday tree this year, but opted instead for the plastic palm tree with permanent lights attached. It doesn’t have that pesky pine smell and hasn’t shed a single fake palm frond.
Here in North Florida (slogan: It’s not really South Georgia), Pepsi, Stinky, and I are still undecided about the tree situation. We may or may not purchase and furl (?) one but we’ll refer to it as a “seasonal display” if we do. And you?
ok… i am deeply unreligious, a commited atheist, if you like, and you guys scare me (almost) as much as the Christian-O’Reilly-Gibson police. “Seasonal display”? You’re not serious, are you?! It reminds me of the Edward Koren cartoon of a couple asking another couple of their friends whose wife is expecting “Do you know its sexual identity?”. I have lived in the US for ten years, and i sure did not count the number of times people there told me “God bless you!”. i don’t believe in God, but was i offended? Not really. Although i think humanity would be better off without religion, it’s not going to happen any time soon, so i live with this fact. it’s sometimes trying, grant you, but you know what’s more even trying? Easily-offended people. THESE ones really get to me -right, left, center, born-again, brights, you name it! But i’m not holding a grudge, see: i wish you a verry merry godless Christmas!
If you ask him, maybe Santa will bring you a sense of humor this year!
“Everyone was silent for a moment, then agreed that whatever you want to call it, they’ll be happy to take the day off.”
My favorite Athiest thanks ‘God’ everytime the Christians give him another day off work!
Thsi holiday season with got a pine tree and decorated it with the Star of David, silver and blue tinsle and ornaments and angels. My family is a mix of christmas, Hanukkah, and agnostic. We put holiday and christmas gifts under our Hanukkah tree and called it a true holiday tree.