I want to wish you a Merry Christmas

I'm taking a break from blogging for a week, so that I can relax, have fun, watch my kids open their presents, finish writing that novel (it's only pages away and I have to make myself finish it), hang around with two little speckled mares, and spend time with my loved ones.

I've done a lot of thinking about this whole concept of Christmas. How it can be so beautiful and ugly at the same time. How cheesy renditions of carols squeaking through the ceiling tiles does not make me feel happy or make me feel loose in the wallet. How we always find ourselves broke in the fall. How I resist the rampant commercialism in our culture, and hate myself when I give in and spend more money because it's expected that I will. How there are people for whom this is the absolute worst time of year, because of loneliness, poverty, illness, bereavement. How so many of us argue about the Reason for the Season and find ways to hate each other over it.

In reality, Christmas is a wonderful amalgam of more festivals and celebrations than what I'm even probably aware of. Christmas is for everybody who wants it. If for nothing else, it's a great reason to shut everything down and let everybody get off the rat race and chill.

I'm a christian, despite that term often being a shameful embarrassment. I've been accused of stupidity for it, and questioned as to how I can base my life on a fairy tale about a supernatural child who grew up to do fantasy novel type feats and all that. Well, I don't care. I don't care if he was godlike or not. I like him because he was a rebel and a thinker and didn't care what everybody else thought of him. And I like him because he came from the humblest of beginnings. We have to choose who we're going to listen to. If you take all of that away, however, it comes down to something much more visceral than that. Sometimes I operate purely on feelings. I don't expect everyone to understand; that's just me.

So I'll be going to church twice on Sunday and I feel pretty good about that.

I also feel good about the fact that not everybody will.

I want us to live in a world where we can be ourselves and be good to each other and not hate each other for how we live. We really can all get along. We can be polite to each other in the cash register line ups! We can smile at each other! Not just this week, but all year! Less Hatred, More Hay, people!!!

We all make choices and we all have to live a life that makes sense to us. That's why after weeks of thinking and examining and feeling, I've come up with my Christmas wish for anybody who's reading this...



Please have a relaxed, happy, fun, meaningful, peaceful Christmas, no matter how you spend it, who you spend it with, or how long you make it last.



And I feel pretty good about that.


While I'm off being all lovey and philosophical in the real world, I'll be leaving you with tons of stuff to keep you entertained in case you run out of things to do and find yourself in blog world!

Throughout today I'll add more things.

When I come back some time next week....there will be pictures!!!

Things to do while I'm gone...

I wrote some reviews of things I've been watching and listening to. I admit, I've been kind of phoning it lately...but I have the kind of mind that can't just watch a movie without planning the words I'd use to describe it to somebody else.

And I want to know what you think. Feel free to disagree with my opinion on somebody else's works of art!

This is how I felt about my birthday a year ago. Well. A year later????

You know how I was complaining about Christmas? Well as it turns out, looking back, I've kind of always been like that.

And remember that great imaginary party we just had? Check this out- It's actually not the first imaginary party I've been a part of! I'd have to say that this week's went so much better with no near-tragic incidents.

Any aspiring fiction writers out there absolutely must read Miss Snark, the Literary Agent. Right now there's an excellent demonstration on how to make an agent want to read your work. What an education! I was too wimpy to send in an entry, but I've learned so much. Now I know why I've gotten so many rejections. And have a whole new appreciation for the garbage that agents and editors have to sort through before they find the treasures.

If you need some Johnny over the holidays, here's the best place to go: Depp Zone which is one of my semi-regular haunts!

My neighbour Zedlie has a son who's also a genius/comedian. He came up with a real gem the other day. "Why is it every guy I meet named Christian is Jewish?" Imagine chuckling and eye rolling like a 9-going on 39-yr -old. There's one kid in the class named Christian. Therefore, every guy he meets... It's funny on every level. The exaggeration, the wondering if the kid's parents get it, you know. I can't help but think that a Jewish kid named Christian would have full licence to party through the entire month of December. Not?

ENJOY YOUR CHRISTMAS!


Peace and Love to all of you!