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gleku citsi
Dec. 22nd, 2004 11:58 amko ba gleki ca'o le citsi means "Imperative-you future-tense be happy/merry/glad/gleeful during the season/cyclic interval," in Lojban. :) This holiday season, I am dabbling in Yule, Solstice, Luminas, HumanLight, and a little $antaTreeGiftmas. I'm even smiling magnanimously at expressions of TotalitarianCultOfPersonalitymas such as live mangers and "Jesus Is the Reason For The Season." (I have very little objection to empty symbolism. It keeps the moral majority complacent and quiet in a comforting illusion their society is somehow "based" on god. All the while I and my cohorts are like the American soldier during the conquest of Baghdad who was overheard to jubilantly say "I do believe this country is freakin' ours!" My fellow secularists are strategically mistaken to challenge mere gestures. It stirs up a religious backlash that puts god in government for real.)
I appreciate the gifts I've received from those who rejected my statement that they don't have to give me anything. They chose well and I love them. Granted, I would have gone out and bought the stuff anyway, but I'm stingy enough to delay gratification until I get it for free.
My holiday season this year is avoiding the typical pitfalls. Perhaps yours is not. Is there conflict where there should be togetherness, depression where there should be joy, exhaustion where there should be relaxation? Is there pressure to prove your love, where there should be forgiveness? Is there mounting debt and tons of wasted storage space? If so, then here's your new Christmas morning tradition: just sit in the living room and everybody passes a $20 bill to the person on their left. They may take a moment to decorate it festively with a ballpoint pen, but only if it's not too much trouble. Whether or not you do it that way, lower your standards. Don't be a slave to unreasonable expectations and rose-colored nostalgia if that would mean creating an annual disaster.
Am I the only one who sees many holiday traditions as a marketing ploy? Isn't it evident that tradition can become more stress than it's worth? I have very strong feelings about this. My rule is that I must only observe any tradition or ritual when it is beneficial and skip it when it is harmful.( Read more... )
I appreciate the gifts I've received from those who rejected my statement that they don't have to give me anything. They chose well and I love them. Granted, I would have gone out and bought the stuff anyway, but I'm stingy enough to delay gratification until I get it for free.
My holiday season this year is avoiding the typical pitfalls. Perhaps yours is not. Is there conflict where there should be togetherness, depression where there should be joy, exhaustion where there should be relaxation? Is there pressure to prove your love, where there should be forgiveness? Is there mounting debt and tons of wasted storage space? If so, then here's your new Christmas morning tradition: just sit in the living room and everybody passes a $20 bill to the person on their left. They may take a moment to decorate it festively with a ballpoint pen, but only if it's not too much trouble. Whether or not you do it that way, lower your standards. Don't be a slave to unreasonable expectations and rose-colored nostalgia if that would mean creating an annual disaster.
Am I the only one who sees many holiday traditions as a marketing ploy? Isn't it evident that tradition can become more stress than it's worth? I have very strong feelings about this. My rule is that I must only observe any tradition or ritual when it is beneficial and skip it when it is harmful.( Read more... )
