Peace on Earth

My last Blog included a list of some of the events and holidays taking place this month. Tomorrow is a very big holiday for millions of Christians – Christmas. If you are interested in some history on this holiday, the folks at How Stuff Works have an article on How Christmas Works .

Personally I’m a secular humanist. Never heard of one of us? I’m not surprised, there aren’t a lot of us around – at least compared to those who follow the major religions. Interested in what a secular humanist is? Wikipedia has a pretty good description of who we are, what we believe, and links to more info here .

Regardless of what religion you do or do not follow I want to wish each and every one of you a happy holidays. There is a line from a song that many sing this time of year: “Peace on Earth, good will towards everyone” [I changed that last word!]. My wish is that ‘peace on Earth’ could truly happen. Imagine how much we (I’m talking of humanity here) could do without wasting so much energy, time, money, lives, etc. on War? Do you think we can every ‘grow up’, open our eyes and realize that we all live on the same small, blue planet? Carl Sagan called our home a “pale, blue dot”. In case you missed my earlier post, go here to read an article about just how small our home is .

I wish you all life, love, happiness, friendship, and hope. This life is what we make of it. I hope we can all try a little harder to make this a better world.

Peace

Tis the Season

My goodness, but December is a busy month. Just look at this list:

• December 5th – 1st day of Hanukkah
• December 22nd – Winter Solstice
• December 23rd – Full moon
• December 25th – Christmas Day
• December 26th – Kwanzaa begins
• December 31st – New Years Eve

Depending upon your religion, or lack there of, you are probably quite busy now: shopping, mailing holiday cards, traveling to see family or friends, etc. Then too, many businesses have some type of holiday celebration (pot-luck luncheon, formal dinner, or the like) for their employees. Hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy some type of happy gathering.

Many people get upset this time of year too. Lately (last several years anyway), many people get mad if you say “Merry Christmas”, then there are those that get mad if you say “Happy Holidays”. I generally stick with “Happy Holidays” myself simply because not everyone celebrates the same event this time of year (see list above), so I stick with something generic to try and cover all the possibilities. “Happy New Year” is quite benign, so that’s another phrase I feel safe with.

I wish that this could be a happy time of year for everyone, but the reality is anything but. There is so much negativity in the world right now (and I see no reason to add to the misery by including an extensive list – you know what’s going on). Then there are so many people who find this a very difficult time of year [for many reasons]. If I could, I would wave a magic wand and make “peace on Earth, good will towards everyone” a reality.

So, try to find some happiness for yourself, where ever you can. Besides, what other time of the year do you get to say “tis”?!

Tradition

Here in the U.S. many of us have just celebrated the annual tradition of Thanksgiving. There are many opinions of how it all started and I’m not going to weigh in on that. However, here are a couple of sites where you can read different opinions: The Thanksgiving Story (they even have a fun quiz you can take), and How Thanksgiving Works (includes information on Thanksgiving customs in other countries).

For my own part I always cook a big meal for my family and friends. I love having a house full of happy, hungry people. Yes, it’s a lot of work to prepare, but it’s about the only holiday tradition that I have left where I can get everyone to participate. Then there all those lovely leftovers – Yum, Yum!! If you love turkey sandwiches you’ll be happy to know that most people say that is their favorite way to use up leftover turkey. If you are looking for some new recipes for your leftover turkey, look here for some ideas.

Traditions are an important part of any society (and family). They bind us together, and give us a common basis to relate to each other on. Without traditions we feel lost, without guidance, like a sailboat without a keel. As families fragment (there are so many divorces and single-parent households), it is doubly important to hold on to traditions. Children need structure as they grow up so they can become productive members of society.

Embrace a healthy, happy tradition. Make it part of your life. Share it with others. The world needs all the happiness and love that it can get.