Breathlessnesses

[kiya]

tnh at makinglight has a note about groups putting together resources for the tsunami victims. I make meaningful gestures and blither a bit.



Notes to me: add to quickie travel ritual set matches. There exist people who don't have them around, weirdly and mindbogglingly enough.

Also, remember to write the journal thing about polyvalent logic, chaos magic, and Sri Syadasti and the other journal thing about models of energy, self, and the water pumps and reservoirs.

In other news, I'm really quite fond of oneironaut.

In general crankiness, "Happy Solstice" as a nasty-intentioned comeback to "Merry Christmas" irritates me even more when people continue doing it well after the astronomical use-by date. I want to strap these people to an orrery and spin them around until they suffer from an understanding of astronomical geometry.

Comments

[rainfallsautumn.livejournal.com]

I don't have matches around. I think Robert does, but I don't. I'm slightly phobic of fire, or at least being very *close* to it, so all I use are the big long clicky lighters (for which I regularly thank the Gods for their invention, as before them I couldn't have candles at all.)

As for that last paragraph... I really wish all of the "holidays as weapons" people need to STFU before I use Things that Go Boom upon them. (This year needs to end. Now.)

[redbird]

I use "Happy New Year" a lot. It's a wish I can actually offer sincerely, and it's for a holiday that comes after [Western] Christmas, hence should be appropriate anytime Christmas wishes might be.

I'm trying not to be cranky: and then someone comes along who waits until Christmas day to wish a large group of people a happy "whatever you celebrate this time of year", which goes back to the assumption that all people celebrate either Xmas or an Xmas-equivalent.

Were I at all an observant Jew, I would wait until Purim or Passover and post holiday greetings with an appended "or whatever you celebrate this time of year".

[sstaten.livejournal.com]

In general crankiness, "Happy Solstice" as a nasty-intentioned comeback to "Merry Christmas" irritates me even more when people continue doing it well after the astronomical use-by date. I want to strap these people to an orrery and spin them around until they suffer from an understanding of astronomical geometry.

:: GRINS :: I'm going to have to remember this one!

[rosefox]

Lots of people asked me whether I had a good Christmas. I tended to blink and say mildly, "Yes, the weekend was very quiet and relaxing. I didn't really notice it being Christmas, since I don't celebrate it." Depending on the person, I occasionally added, "Though I was kind of irritated that all the stores were closed when I tried to go shopping on Saturday. Aren't they all supposed to be run by Jews? My people are letting me down!"

(My iTunes randomizer obligingly goes straight into "Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts" from Handel's Messiah as I type that.)

[elf]

Lighter, not matches.
Flint & steel. Older than matches. Matches have sulfur; bad for some rituals. And they don't work after getting wet.

However, I do tend to keep a book of paper matches in the travel ritual kit, because sometimes I'll loan out the lighter & not get it back. Paper matches don't go away 'cos I don't use them. (Find some goth club that gives away matches with nifty logo.)

Even the Christians around here tend to use "happy holidays;" the ChristmaHanaKwanzaRamaStice season is just a bit too much for most people.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

The polite thing is to wish people a happy whatever-holiday-they-celebrate - thus it's proper to say "Happy Yule!" to Pagans, and since Christmas is also called Yule, it's proper to say it to Christians too. If you don't want to be too specific, you can say "Happy Yuletide", meaning "this general holiday-season", all the way up to the week after New Year if you want.

For Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist people, atheists, practicioners of minority and/or Native religions, etcetera, it gets to be more difficult, because unless you know what holiday (if any) they're celebrating around the Winter Solstice, you're never gonna guess right. So "happy holidays" is probably safest, but it does sound pretty wimpy and boring.

I tend to think "Happy Yule" is generic enough - if people don't like it, they can tell me what they want to be wished instead, and I will gladly wish them that. However, if someone says "Merry Christmas" to me, I say it back to them, on the assumption that it's the thought that counts.

Yeah, "happy Solstice" is a silly greeting even on the actual day of the solstice, let alone any other time, but... whatever, y'know?

"I want to strap these people to an orrery and spin them around until they suffer from an understanding of astronomical geometry."

LOL, actually, that sounds like it would utterly be a blast; I'd wait in line to ride that ride. Aughra's orrery in the movie The Dark Crystal, remember that? it wasn't this solar system, but it was cool as can be, and I definitely wanted one.