God Bless Those Pagans

I'm writing my Christmas post a few days early as tomorrow I'm hopping on a plane to Colorado to visit my brother for the holidays. This year should beat last year's Christmas easily - I had a nasty chill and cough, slept most of the day, and well ... I don't remember much but I'm sure a shot of Nyquil was the highlight of the day. Shots of cough syrup can make most days great, but on Christmas they are just downright depressing.

Today is the winter solstice, which may creep you out if you happen to run into any zombiefied new agers gushing about the "return of light to our lives." But it always makes me smile when I remember that the winter solstice is why we celebrate Christmas on December 25th. As Homer Simpson put it: "God bless those pagans." Truly, there is no better time to celebrate the back-slapping, mistletoe-placing, gift-giving, spirit-imbibing holidays (or "alcoholidays", as a friend put it) then this time of year when it's darkest the longest.

But ultimately, of course, the holiday is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Who is our president's favorite philosopher, remember? So while pulling myself away from the excitement of the Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl on Christmas Day, I'll try paging through the Gospel According To Luke, looking for red-letter gems such as: "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 17:25) In the meantime, if I have any last-minute shopping to do I'll be sure to seek out those bell-ringers in the doorways. Peace.