The toys last at least six hours...
Happy Saint Nicholas Day!
Yes, it's the glorious time of year when you get to dance delicately around the sending of cards, giving of gifts, and hosting of parties all the while attempting to not bruise the delicate egos of friends who may send you a card (of course those friends wait until the last minute so you can't possibly send them a card wihtout it being readily apparent that it was sent only in response to their sending you one), give you a gift (and then you get to guess how much they spent on it (of course, it's probably a left over wedding gift anyway, right?) so that you can appropriately respond without seeming to overdo it because you don't necessarily want them to feel the need to continue next year), or invite you to a party (oh my goodness...really...now we've got to invite them - do we even have enough food ordered?...and their kids...arrg).
Oh, and let's not forget family. The calculus involved in determining the correct amount to spend on third cousins would scramble Newton's brain.
Ultimately, it's all about me, right? All of this posturing and figuring and worry over this stuff - it's really a huge effort to maintain image. After all, the real goal of the season and all its math is to net a zero...give exactly the amount you get and you win! Then you can triumphantly proclaim "I could have just bought myself all this crap and avoided six weeks of frustration". But it's the thought that counts, right? And during this special time, thoughts are mostly of ourselves.
I'm not a big bah humbug...no, really, I'm not.
It's just that all of that stuff above is a load of crap. This Holiday (Christmas, in case you're wondering) is about someone who gave everything and received nothing (until he died). No calculus. No worry. No bruised ego. No frustration. No panic. Just gave everything. It seems so much simpler. What's real? If the stuff we pile up around us is real, then Jesus was an idiot. If not, we're the idiots.
Saint Nicholas, though details are sketchy, survived the Diocletian persecution and spent his energies defending the falsely accused. He is said to have given away all of his considerable inheritance. No reindeer. No fat red suit. Reality.
Yes, it's the glorious time of year when you get to dance delicately around the sending of cards, giving of gifts, and hosting of parties all the while attempting to not bruise the delicate egos of friends who may send you a card (of course those friends wait until the last minute so you can't possibly send them a card wihtout it being readily apparent that it was sent only in response to their sending you one), give you a gift (and then you get to guess how much they spent on it (of course, it's probably a left over wedding gift anyway, right?) so that you can appropriately respond without seeming to overdo it because you don't necessarily want them to feel the need to continue next year), or invite you to a party (oh my goodness...really...now we've got to invite them - do we even have enough food ordered?...and their kids...arrg).
Oh, and let's not forget family. The calculus involved in determining the correct amount to spend on third cousins would scramble Newton's brain.
Ultimately, it's all about me, right? All of this posturing and figuring and worry over this stuff - it's really a huge effort to maintain image. After all, the real goal of the season and all its math is to net a zero...give exactly the amount you get and you win! Then you can triumphantly proclaim "I could have just bought myself all this crap and avoided six weeks of frustration". But it's the thought that counts, right? And during this special time, thoughts are mostly of ourselves.
I'm not a big bah humbug...no, really, I'm not.
It's just that all of that stuff above is a load of crap. This Holiday (Christmas, in case you're wondering) is about someone who gave everything and received nothing (until he died). No calculus. No worry. No bruised ego. No frustration. No panic. Just gave everything. It seems so much simpler. What's real? If the stuff we pile up around us is real, then Jesus was an idiot. If not, we're the idiots.
Saint Nicholas, though details are sketchy, survived the Diocletian persecution and spent his energies defending the falsely accused. He is said to have given away all of his considerable inheritance. No reindeer. No fat red suit. Reality.
posted by Chitchat at 8:12 AM
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