A Christmas Message for 2013

Some thoughts for the day. These aren’t scripted; as I’m making this up off the top of my head, I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to say. 🙂 As many of you know, I’m not religious. Christmas holds no spiritual meaning for me. As a mythicist, I even doubt that the events Christians celebrateContinue reading “A Christmas Message for 2013”

On Christmas With the Daleks

An extract from a parchment found in the ruins of Skaro in the 38th-century: “And there were in the same country Kaleds abiding in the wastelands, keeping watch over their mutants by night. And, lo, Nyder came upon them, and the glory of the Lord Davros shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.Continue reading “On Christmas With the Daleks”

On the Angel Tree Package

I mentioned a few days ago that I was putting together an Angel Tree package at the office. I talked about that here. Tonight I finished wrapping the thing, and tomorrow I’m going to take it to the office. MY work will be done. The tag I picked off the tree was for a sevenContinue reading “On the Angel Tree Package”

An Epiphany about A Charlie Brown Christmas

Tonight while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, I noticed something that has escaped my attention for the past three decades. Early in the episode, Charlie Brown goes to Lucy at her psychiatrist’s booth. Realizing that Charlie Brown needs some direction in his life, she suggests that he should be the director of the Christmas play.Continue reading “An Epiphany about A Charlie Brown Christmas”

On a Casualty in FOX News’ War on the War on Christmas

Were it not for Talking Points Memo, I wouldn’t have known that FOX News’ war on the War on Christmas had begun. I guess if Black Friday can creep into Thursday, then the War on Christmas can creep into mid-November. And what did I learn? Atheists are attacking A Charlie Brown Christmas in an elementaryContinue reading “On a Casualty in FOX News’ War on the War on Christmas”

On Things I’ve Been Reading

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Stocking Fantagraphics Books Written and Illustrated by Charles Schulz While BOOM! Studios publishes new stories of the Peanuts gang in a monthly comic book and occasional graphic novel, Fantagraphics Books is reprinting Charles Schulz’s classic comic strip in their Complete Peanuts hardcover collections. This month, Fantagraphics released something unusual, a reprint ofContinue reading “On Things I’ve Been Reading”

On Widows, Blue Boxes, and Christmas Trees

Saturday night, as I did my last Christmas wrapping, I watched Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. It’s been my Christmas Eve tradition for several years now, though last year, as I was in Raleigh for Christmas, I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the film. As I watched the film this year, I had aContinue reading “On Widows, Blue Boxes, and Christmas Trees”

On Christmas Day Music Musings

Like many atheists, I love Christmas. Richard Dawkins, for instance, says that he’s “culturally Christian” when he’s asked why he does Christmas things — the Christmas celebrations are part of the cultural DNA. Elizabeth Cornwell wrote an essay for the Washington Post about her own “Very Atheist Christmas” and it hits a lot of myContinue reading “On Christmas Day Music Musings”