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Ho, Ho, Ho
neutron_p writes "Every Christmas, calculations circulate that cast doubt as to whether Santa Claus could possibly deliver gifts to all the world's good children - and still remain within the laws of physics. To deliver gifts to all who deserve them, they assert, Santa would need to move so fast that he would vaporise due to air resistance, be torn to pieces by gravitational forces or suffer other terrible fates we wouldn't wish for Santa Claus. Now a team of four top researchers looked into the case and concluded: Santa can do the job and Christmas is saved! They concluded that Santa has an ion-shield of charged particles, held together by a magnetic field to solve the heat problem and he probably travels in more than four dimensions." jgaynor writes "Inspired by an old slashdot article , I decided this year to create a 'christmas lights frontend' to our Network Management System. It came out well and has had a definite impact on response times. Videos of the results are here: WMV, AVI, REAL." Mrs. Claus writes "The NORAD Santa Tracker is up and running and ready to track the Big Guy on Christmas Eve. They've got photos of 50 years of catching Santa in the act." And if you didn't listen to the Blizzard Christmas tale we mentioned in the previous post, you're missing out.
If NORAD put as much effort into real Security as they did this nonsense, America would be a safer place.
I'm sure whoever did this had a lot of fun though.
-- DuckWing
it's called parents
Like most of my thoughts, this essay will not make most people very comfortable. Unlike mainstream media, I have stopped trying to make you feel good. Rather, through my writing I am trying to get you to face the uncomfortable reality of what is really going on.
Christmas means different things to different people. Some people take it as simply a break from work, other people see Christmas as a religious time. However, the prevailing story we all have is the one our parents told us growing up: Christmas is when we all come together as a family and Santa comes and leaves presents under the tree.
Santa does not exist. There, I said it. He is a fictional character we have created and one that perpetuates a complex lie presented to our children. This story involves reindeer, presents, chimneys, and the North Pole. That part of Christmas is all a big fat lie. Any kindergartener could tell you that, if you were just honest with your kids.
Lets talk about trees. Another tradition most people have is killing a tree and bringing it into our house, you know, for decoration. Why are we killing trees? Is it so that for two weeks we can enjoy the smell and sight of something natural in our lives? What happened to going for a walk in the woods? I would say that arbitrarily killing a tree so you can see it in your living room is not really the best use of trees.
But there are far more disturbing issues surrounding Christmas then what happens to the trees. Lets talk about the children, and that lie. What does it tell your children that you intentionally and repeatedly lie to them? Gee, when people lie to me, I dont trust them any more. As an adult, I choose not to keep those people in my life. That question is a softball compared to what some families do with Santa: How many of you have heard, Be good, or Santa wont bring you any presents How do you react when people threaten you?
Im not going to discuss the obvious lies and blatant contradictions in Christianity. Ill save that for another essay, save one thought. How could any good Christian stand by idly and watch the most holy of their holidays turned into a commercial circus? How is it possible that a whole nation full of Christians who say they believe in the holy status of Jesus feel comfortable with Christmas of today? And if you are not comfortable, why do you play the game? Where are your essays? What keeps you from saying what you feel?
Lets talk about commercialism. Christmas is simply buying laid bare. Buying is expected, encouraged, and assumed. Christmas and consumption are synonymous. Sadly, it is understandable. Buying is a choice. But like most choices, the actions people take that perpetuate commercialism are not completely conscious. Typically people feel bad and make choices to feel better, and for most people, those feels are completely hidden from their consciousness. Sadly, most people are so unwilling to examine what is really going on in their lives; they simply keep buying to try and feel whole, important, and O.K. This is a much larger essay, but Christmas brings it out like no other time.
Why do children want presents so much? Well, most kids just want love and security. First off, people teach them the story that more is better. This underlying assumption in western thought is pervasive, and underlies most peoples core assumptions about security and success. Material wealth leads to security. Second, most parents translate love for their children into buying them stuff. Its much easier to buy toys then to make time to really understand and accept your children as complete people. The substitution of material things for parental love is another core theme in Christmas.
Why do people accept the contradictions? Why do people perpetuate a blatant lie to their children about Santa? Mostly people accept lies because its easier to do that that to address the more disturbing conclusions hidden underneath that lie. In this case, lying to yo
It is interesting to see how Santa Claus is becoming more and more a part of Christmas. He has become the icon of secular Christmas. Christmas has religious origins though the celebration of the birth of Jesus for many, if not most, Americans has been pushed aside to the place of irrelevance. The politically correct replacement has been Santa Claus. I find it to be a poor replacement.
You are a frump. Why is anyone listening to you.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey