With Christmas Around the Corner...

Has anyone noticed that…

My Thanksgiving “leaves” are still festooning my front door…

Plastic tubs brimming with jolly ornaments are cluttering up my dining room and pose a hazard to passersby…

The dogs are pooping little artificial tree “needles” because I haven’t vacuumed in a week…

Don ‘t worry, it won’t kill them. They’ve pooped worse.

Honestly.

Has anyone noticed that each passing year places more importance upon being the first in the family, on the block or at the office to decorate, shop, ship and send out cards?

Have you noticed how more significance is placed on banning nativities, posting anti-Christian billboards meant to dissuade “fellow atheists” from “believing” (their rebuttal, not mine) or how we are not to say “Merry Christmas” for fear of offending all those people that spend December 25 in a furious celebration, replete with Santa Claus and a Christmas dinner? Shame on those bad people.

For that matter, I couldn’t help but notice that my wonderful Wiccan, Buddhist, Jewish and Muslim friends have all sent me online Christmas cards (I am so far behind that I haven’t dug out my own card list yet!) Have you ever wondered exactly who “Merry Christmas” is supposed to offend? I certainly have.

Happy Chanukah, by the way. Tonight is the final night and I have greatly enjoyed reading my friend Leslie’s daily updates (her kids had a good haul this year and we are all very pleased that her oldest son was asked to sing Haneirot Halalu last night. :::coughSENDVIDEOcough::: Thank you very much.)

She pointed out in a lengthy email that the "rebel atheists" don't seem to give much though towards banning “Jewish children’s brainwashing books”. These little novelties have wonderful titles such as The Runaway Dreidel and The Tie Man’s Miracle | A Chanukah Tale.

“Meh. Who would bother to do such a thing, I ask you? They have hutzpa, I’ll give them that. It’s the same, world-over. People like that are no good, and no good comes of them. Selfish me, me, me and myself, and I. You [Christians] say to them to give up being a shmok to be self-less. Big burden on them, I tell you. G-d forbid they give to the poor or take in orphans. So they get angry at Christians. Or maybe feel guilty. Feh. May they win the lottery and spend every last dime on a new lawn, and then may a thousand dogs escape from the shelter and make poo there.”

I love Leslie.