I'm going to wish those who read a Merry Christmas, regardless of what their familiarity with the holiday is. Even if they don't celebrate it, it would be a dick move to hope their day sucked tomorrow. In any case, even though I don't wish anyone ill will at the moment, I find myself confused at the placement of values and the injection of religion into tomorrow, even though this is not my reason for posting. The 25th of December is not His birthday. It's known to religious scholars and historians that the 25th of December was held as the holiday Saturnalia, a day known to then-contemporary Christians as super popular among pagans, and so the only logical step was assimilation. "The 25th? Jesus was born then! You should be a Christian so you can celebrate the proper holiday on the same date!" So I had to vent that a little bit, in no small part to my being on facebook and seeing how upset people get that Christ isn't in Christmas anymore, despite the irony that he never was. My real reason for posting, is that tomorrow is Christmas, and I've become a starving artist. Again. And whether or not this holiday is about a baby being born circa 2000 years ago has nothing to do with the fact that right now, people are giving things to each other, because the look on someone's face when you give them the perfect present is fucking priceless. There's a counter-point to that; if you're a person who's broke, getting presents can make you feel like shit. I know the point of giving isn't to make a person feel like shit, unless ironic presents are a thing now - are they? Because that's actually a pretty funny way to get back at someone. I'd put open condom wrappers in a box and mail them to people who've polished their ivory towers too much, with a card that said, "Out of fucks to give." Though, the act itself would defeat the idea of the gift. I would suppose my point is that I can't necessarily afford to buy a present for anybody. But, I still want to give presents, and I'll make them if I have to. The question would have to be if the thought truly counts, or if that's simply something told to people who give shitty presents.
This is what I would give people, if family protocol wasn't that presents are only for toddlers. Oh, and Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Eid Milad Majid, Happy Festivus or whatever works for you.
A few years back, my brother gave me a rather suspicious heavy present and asked me to inspect it. He then told me it was a brick. Sure enough when Christmas rolled by, he had indeed got me a brick - although it was just a foil for the main present he brought out afterwards. He also gave me Fallout 3 when it was first out in an Ejacula dvd case he made himself, and when my fiancee's brother had Christmas with us a few years back he gave him a Kings of Leon tab book disguised with the front cover of a hardcore porn magazine. I think a big part of why he enjoys Christmas is just so he can do things like that, I don't know if they fit under the category of an ironic present but they seemed related. As for it's the "thought that counts", I think that's true as long as you've genuinely made something that has consideration put into it and not just cobbled something together on the fly because you're desperate to get someone a present. I know I've got cheap presents in the past that have been better enjoyed than a more expensive present purely because they were unexpected and it's clear that I had attempted to find something that personally suited them. I like that and would consider getting it for someone next year, if only it wasn't £6.99 plus delivery - I don't think there's a way you could possibly get more ripped off! Merry Christmas for tomorrow everyone.
Wesołych Świąt. Wishing you guys to find some time to relax and forget about day-to-day stuff if only for a little bit.
You guys are alright. And a Merry Christmas to you. I think you know why. "Can't have good without bad," and all that. Well, this year I made my mother in law a custom sculpture of a fish (I only put a photo here because the last "fish" looked like a corn cob penis), because she was born under the sign of Pisces. Last year I made her a cross due to how big a fan she is of Jesus. I made my father in law a stone cigar ash tray last year, and this year they both teamed up and bought me a $400 Dewalt portable table saw. My problem is I'm held up by knowing what I made isn't worth $400 ($275, at most), while at the same time I know it's not about how much something's worth.
Merry Christmas folks. Whatever you believe is the "reason for the season," I hope you're all able to spend it with people you care about, and that you feel loved.