‘Twas the Night Before Holiday…

There’s finally something that’s come up where I can’t support either side.  I wasn’t sure I’d ever see an issue where I felt that both sides of it were utterly retarded.  What is this thing of which I speak?  It’s the whole "War on Christmas" bullshit that’s going around.  Two of the three local stations in Nashville led off the ten o’clock news tonight with a story about the City Council "affirming Christmas."  In other words, all decorations and official whatevers to do with the City of Nashville will be known as "Christmas _____."  It started when the governor of Tennessee did what so many politicians have done this year, and called the Christmas tree a Holiday tree.  ::shakes head::  Now, I see the logic as to why they’re calling them "Holiday trees."  It’s all about being as PC as humanly possible.  Which is bad enough.  This level of political correctness is reserved for true fucktards.  But the other holidays that are celebrated by people this time of year (like, oh, I dunno, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) don’t make use of trees (as far as I know…which ain’t much).  So call the Christmas tree what it is.  There aren’t Hanukkah trees (that I know of).  So no need to generalize the name of a Christmas tree.  But then you have the religious folk getting up in arms about "dammit, this is Christmas!  Birth of Jesus Christ! S’what Christmas is all about!"  Not anymore, buddy.  Hasn’t been for years.  Christmas is nothing more than a consumer holiday now.  If it was truly about celebrating the birth of Christ, there’d be no need to give everyone you know gift cards to TGI Friday’s or Hot Topic.  If you want Christmas to really be about Christ again….stop buying presents.  Simple.  Ain’t gonna happen, because no one cares anymore.

But anyway…  The whole "affirming Christmas" thing?  Typical Christian arrogance.  I actually heard some guy say, "We all know it’s Christmas, so let’s just call it that."  To you, sir, yes.  But not to all.  To gank a phrase, "If it ain’t our God, it ain’t shit."  That seems to be the mentality.  In fact, it always has been.

Now Playing in Dave’s Mental Jukebox:  "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold, "Just Like That" by ICP, and "Spit" by Kittie

How does an atheist explain to their five year old why they don’t believe in God?  And does any explanation immediately ruin Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy?

I got to witness the full extent of my mom and stepdad’s disbelief in C.J. Sunday night.  To review, C.J. is going to be transferring to my alma mater, MTSU, for the Spring semester.  He plans to live off campus and work, and all that mess.  Well, he’s been dragging his feet, let us say, on the whole "find a place and job" part of the deal.  His parents refuse to cosign his apartment application until he actually has a job.  He has yet to register for classes.  Hell, he’s only been to Murfreesboro twice since the whole process started (and one of those times was when I drove him down there just to take a short tour of campus, so I’m being generous by counting it).  C.J.’s dad firmly believes it’ll be a disaster.  Not because that’s what Randy wants to see, just because he sees how C.J. is, especially when it comes to waking up for class and work.  Without help, he just can’t do it.  Even if work doesn’t start until, say, noon.  Two alarms doesn’t help him.  He just ignores them and continues to sleep as they blare for two hours.  At the start, I was easily the person who backed C.J. the most.  I just knew he could do this, and in a dilligent manner.  But he’s made me look like a fool for it.  And, obviously, I’ve started to doubt him.  He got very pissed off at his dad Sunday night because all his dad would tell him was, "I want it all in writing:  rent, classes, job…all of it."  Later on, I went to gather up my stuff to come back home, and watched as C.J. still sat there fuming.  My so-called words of wisdom?  "They’re not trying to piss you off.  They’re trying to motivate you.  They just want you to get this done, so they’re trying to make you get up and do it.  Look at it however you want to, but I’m telling you, they’re just trying to motivate you.  Channel the anger into getting results.  That’s all they’re going to care about.  You do that, and it’s over."  He blew me off at the time (got a temper straight out of Randy’s side of the family), but sure enough, he was down there today doing all kinds of shit.  Job hunting, hand delivering his transcript, turning in the apartment paperwork…all that shit.  So perhaps the motivational tactics have worked.  I hope so.  Because if he thinks he hears it now…it’d be a bajillion times worse if ends up still at home next semester.

I am officially a Scrooge.  I hate Christmas-time.  It’s nothing but a hassle and a pain in my ass.  I don’t want anyone to get me anything, and I don’t want to get anyone else anything.  I don’t want to visit with family I don’t like.  I don’t want to listen to Christmas music.  I don’t want to watch Frosty the Snowman or A Charlie Brown Christmas for the billionth time apiece.  I don’t want to hang up lights.  I don’t want to put up a tree.  I don’t want to drive in over-congested mall traffic just to go home from work.  My solution from before works:  stop buying presents.

If the PC Police have their way with the "Christmas/Holiday" thing, does that mean the songs will be changed to "The 12 Days of Holiday" and "We Wish You a Happy Holiday?"  Or will we be reciting ‘Twas the Night Before Holiday?  I’d really like to know the answers to this.

There was something else I was going to say here, but be fucked if I can remember what it was.  And it flashed into my mind while I was typing the bit below this…only to be immediately forgotten.  Damn I hate the way my mind works anymore!

Considering this is likely the last I’ll write for a whit, I shall wish all those who are unfortunate to come across this a very, very Crappy Holidays.

Sayonara.