Late Night Christmas Wishes

If you've read my blog at all over the past year or so, you'll know that I am a fan of Late Night talk shows and specifically The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Here's a little diddy from The Tonight Show I feel I needed to share. I want to dedication this song to Utah-- I know we are at odds right now (20 day & counting sans-The Road), but it is not beneath me to wish you a Merry Christmas!



The clip is a little long (3 mins, something) and you'll have to wait through a cell phone commercial or something like that before the clip even runs-- I'm not doing a very good job of selling this clip. Just watch it!

The Sky is Fallin'

WARNING: THIS POST MAY BE A BIT OF A BUMMER FOR SOME!!

So I guess the End of the World is coming. The year 2012 from what I understand from various sources amongst my Facebook friends.

"2012 is marked by a Muslim mythical end of time 'Coming of Mehdi' - God will destroy morally bankrupt mankind and true Islam will rule. Nostradamus also predicted the end of the world around that time." -- Jyri Makela

"They Mayan Calendar also states the end of the world at 2012." -- Joel Petrie

"Check out the Colony Collapse Disorder epidemic. Bees are disappearing... Within four years of that, humanity will suffer and become extinct as well...interesting article to read! Everything seems to be leading to 2012!" -- Tawnie Bowers

While certainly none of these people (that I know of) are experts on the matter, I'm sure their sources can be verified by a simple google search. In doing so myself I was able to get an exact date Yule or Winter Solstice of 2012 which is Dec. 21st-- right before Christmas :(


So I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. I mean I had some big things planned for the next 5 to 50 years and now it turns I only have 3.66 years. I've got to be honest, I don't think I can manage to do all the things I want to do in that short amount of time.

Here is a brief look at some of the things I would like to do, but likely not get around to:

1. Eat a pie... after the age 35
2. Dodge the draft for War World III
3. Be the oldest heavy weight champion of the world
4. Get a seniors discount at the movies
5. Spearhead the largest escape from a senior care facility in US history
6. Grow Old & Die



So if the world is indeed ending on Dec 21, 2012-- should I do Christmas shopping that year "just in case"?


Really what I'm looking for is some reason not to believe the world will end in 2012. If you got any, let me know.

So This Is Chrismakwanzika

Every year it seems the politically correct jargon of this holiday season tends to puts a number of Stockings, Dashikis, and Yamikas in a bunch. What's most interesting to me is the disdain people have for the expression 'Happy Holidays' as though it were a personal insult.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not necessarily one for political correctness, but I certainly understand and accept it. The right to worship whomever and however one pleases is a fundamental human right and as such any entity, institution, or governing body comprised of more than one of those belief systems should be inclusive of all parties, and thus use the politically correct 'Happy Holidays'. In my opinion even a company with 99.9% of their staff being Christian should still maintain the 'Happy Holidays' greeting. Now there are exceptions to the rule: a Catholic school with obvious ties to Christian ideology could use 'Merry Christmas' though not all the students and/or staff may be Christians.

That said, just because your company wishes you 'Happy Holidays' doesn't mean you can't say 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Hanukkah' or 'Joyous Kwanzaa' to your co-workers. You are a human and have the right to your religious convictions and by saying 'Merry Christmas' you are expressing your faith. You shouldn't feel guilt or shame for well-wishing a friend, colleague, or stranger, regardless of your greeting. Now if someone were to wish me a Happy Hanukkah I would think one of two things 1) they are Jewish or 2) they've noticed the pronounced profile of my nose and believe I am Jewish. Regardless, I would accept their holiday greeting, it doesn't diminish my beliefs in any way, but what do I say back? Do I say Merry Christmas and run the risk of either insulting or embarrassing them? I think I would respond with a Happy Hanukkah, but then next year, during the holiday, I would be sure to greet them first with a hearty 'Merry Christmas'-- I wonder what they would say back? You know I think I may just start wishing people a 'Joyous Kwanzaa'. I don't know that I've ever heard anyone wish any one else a 'Joyous Kwanzaa'-- I've actually only ever met one person who celebrated Kwanzaa. If you celebrate Kwanzaa let me know. I would love to get a Joyous Kwanzaa card or even a Happy Hanukkah card for that matter. I wonder if they make a "There is no God but Allah" card? Or 'Wishing You A Warm Winter Solstice' greeting? Seriously if you see one-- you know where to send it.

Merry Christmas to All!

To date my holiday greeting cards are as follows:
(I will update this list periodically)

Happy Holidays/Season's Greetings/Etc. (8)

Merry Christmas (6)

Happy Hanukkah (0)

Joyous Kwanzaa (0)

There is no God but Allah (0)

Warm Winter Solstice (1)

Other (0)

Peanut Butter Fudge-- It's what's for Breakfast!

As the holiday season descends upon us like a jaguar from an Acacia tree, I am always amazed to watch as the standard year-round rules go out the window. First thing in the morning I find myself with my boy opening one of the doors on those countdown to Christmas advent calendars. Gee, what great parenting? "Here son, have a solid piece of chocolate for breakfast. It'll get your day started off right. Do you want some coffee as well?" Last night we were watching a show and Jefferson climb up next to me and he was covered in chocolate and still had some in his mouth. It was like 10 o'clock at night! "Where'd you get that?" I asked. "I found it... it's delicious!". And here I am wondering why he's still wired. Of course there is no changing it now-- the precedent has been set-- it's chocolate for breakfast at least until Christmas, then it's back to fruit and the accompanying "I hate you"s. 'Tis the season to indulge, I guess. There was a smorgasbord of fudge circulating the office... at 9:30 a.m this morning. Yes it seems not even a nutritional health company is impervious this phenomenon. It appears to happen in every facet of our lives-- all of the sudden the things we couldn't afford 2-3 months ago become reasonable; we start sleeping in a bit and cutting out from work a little early. Is it any wonder that our version of Saint Nicholas is a jolly old fat guy that doesn't shave and only works one day a year-- and on that one day, he brings happiness to children all over the world and gets to eat incalculable amounts of cookies in the process. There is no doubt-- Santa's got the hook up!
Once you recognizing these tendencies it is no wonder that New Year's come with making resolutions: pay off your bills, lose weight, stop eating chocolate for breakfast. We need these resolutions to counteract the bad habits we've gotten ourselves into during the holiday season. It's a wonderful little checks & balances system we've got here.
I'm certainly not pointing fingers. I am just as guilty (or more so) as the next, but that's what truly makes it a holiday, does it not? Everyone deserves to "take a break" from the rules once in awhile and at Christmas time everyone is doing it at the same time-- it is almost chaotic. In my opinion that's what makes this holiday season so great-- well that and celebrating the birth of Jesus.