We’ll all open presents, and cook a big dinner,
And share in traditions we learned long ago
But Christmas is different for this humble sinner,
No “birth of the saviour”, just people we know.
It has nothing to do with a babe in a manger
Or kings being led by a star up above,
But rather in family, friend, and in stranger,
In kindnesses done for the people we love.
A spirit of hope, and a spirit of giving,
A promise of peace in a troubling day,
A chance to examine the way we are living–
The courage to say what we’ve wanted to say.
You don’t need to think there’s a god up above you
To want to be good to your fellows on Earth.
To give to your friends, and to tell them “I love you”
Has nothing to do with some son of god’s birth.
For love, and for giving, we say “tis the season”
For caring, for kindness, for sharing good cheer
But why limit ourselves? I mean, what is the reason?
Why can’t we be giving the rest of the year?
This Christmas, my wish for each sister and brother,
To you, and to everyone you may hold dear;
Remember, this Christmas, to love one another—
Not only this season, but all through the year!
Yes, this is from years ago. This year, with both cuttlekids out of the nest, I am a very happy Cuttlefish because they will both be home for cephalopodmas. And so, yes, we will have our very special atheist christmas (we usually celebrate the solstice, but it has come and gone, so christmas will have to do; the important thing is that we will be together).
Happy cephalopodmas to all of you!
White wine in the sun for all the Cuttlefishies, everyone!
Plenty of the white wine… precious little sun around here!
Come visit the Anyway household in sunny west-central Florida (look at the Gulf Coast of Florida… see that spot about half-way down that juts out a bit? That’s us!) I’ll be glad to open a fresh box of white wine or red or both. Last night Mrs. Anyway and I were out doing some night geocaching. As we drove home around 10 pm I noted that it was 77° outside. Our subtropical clime is becoming full-on tropical.
Eat well, stay fit, Die Anyway
Hey, it’s in the mid-seventies here in DC. Rainy, though.
“White wine in the sun”–see Tim Minchin’s touching song about family love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q Yes, friends and family are good to have, a reassuring blanket of belongingness and mutual help. Just watch when it devolves into kin survival driving feuds and hatred and wars that start over petty differences with “outsiders”. Like over whose god is the right one. Sorry to introduce this negative note. New Year’s resolution: remove discord from human co-existence.
and Happy New Year!
Christ was born in June or something and Christmas replaces the winter solstice, so when I receive a present I thank the position of the moon, the sun and the stars. 2016