It's Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer!
Mamacita says: I really don’t know how anyone could ever say it better than this.
Ma Ingalls assured Laura and Mary that if everyone wanted everyone else to be happy all the time, then every day would be Christmas. I believe this to be absolutely true.
Haven’t you noticed by now that almost every time you hope and wish and strive for someone else’s happiness, you end up happier yourself? Sometimes, not getting what we wanted for Christmas means we get something else that’s even better. As far as I’m concerned, helping and watching others get what THEY wanted is the best part of the season.
It disgusts me out every pore of my very large body bothers me when people keep Christmas contained in a house or – far worse – in a church. Dressing up and hanging out with other dressed-up people all of whom are going home to near-opulence, comparatively speaking, and feeling justified and holy because they went through the motions and recited the words without actually doing anything about them really doesn’t seem like Christmas proper to me. These days, a lot of Christmas services are more like recitals and concerts with divas than anything spiritual or meaningful. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were meant to be given away, not draped around the church. How many of those overdressed bedecked people plan to do anything for anyone but themselves this Christmas?
I am also disgusted that the very places that most need volunteers and donations are near capacity with the needy and extremely short-handed with the volunteers on church nights. Shouldn’t those be the very times the most people gather together to DO for others, not just sit around and talk about it?
Preaching to the choir only reassures and reaffirms already-held thoughts and beliefs. Festooning a church with expensive fake greenery seems an outrageous use of money that would be better spent supplying a soup kitchen or providing Christmas for several families in the area. On Christmas, why not shut the church’s door and send the church’s people out to actually, physically, help real people in their own areas who are in desperate need?
If all you did this season was decorate, purchase, bake, dress up, party, or sit at home relaxing in front of the TV, shame on you. Next year, try to do better than that. Next year, don’t dress up and head for the mall or the church (unless it’s headquarters for the donations which you are going to help distribute); bundle up and get out there and make Christmas really happen for people who might not know what you’ve known for years. Don’t preach to them; let your actions do that for you. Action, people, not words. Words can be empty. Words ARE empty without accompanying action.
If your church’s Christmas focuses on the shop window glitter, maybe it’s time to seek a real church – one that has substance behind the window in the store itself.
Words are cheap. Action takes effort. Without the effort, Christmas isn’t the only meaningless thing in people’s lives.
Seriously. If your church doesn’t know the names of almost every person in its immediate neighborhood, what good is it? What good is it if it concentrates on sending packages and money overseas and ignores the needy right across the street?
It’s better to do a kindness at home than go afar to burn incense. –Chinese proverb
Heh. She said “dick.”
You must learn, young Padawan, but finals are now officially over
Fair warning: there is “language” ahead. . . .
Mamacita says: I gave finals to five classes last week. Most of my students last semester were awesome; I adore them. I already miss them. They rocked. All semester, they worked hard, had wonderful discussions, participated, helped each other, LISTENED, made suggestions. . . . the combination of personalities was great, and almost everyone added in a positive way to the mix. THOSE students finished their tests in silence, handed them to me, THANKED ME FOR BEING THEIR TEACHER!!!!! gathered their stuff, and left, quietly. I heard them talking in the halls a little later, about how much easier the test was, than they’d thought it might be. That is how it usually is, for the students who take it seriously and show up each week.
How about that one slacker class, you might ask. . . Here’s how it went:
Most of even “that” class were great. They took their test, wished me and each other a Merry Christmas, and left. Most of them passed, and most of those who passed passed well. However, that one truly slackerish guy – the one who didn’t remember to take the midterm exam or turn in any of his projects – arrived almost an hour into the session and was still there long after everyone else had gone home.
Slacker: This test is fucked. I don’t know this shit.
Evil Teacher*: The students with good attendance know it.
Slacker: Are you talking to me?
Evil Teacher: Apparently not.
Slacker: Do we HAVE to use a #2 pencil? I hate that. Do we HAVE to?
Evil Teacher: Yes.
Slacker: This sucks. I don’t have one. Give me yours.
Evil Teacher: Here, take it. Use it well, young Padawan.
Slacker: Huh? Whatever. I hate black pencils. Got any other colors?
Evil Teacher: No. Black is the color of despair. It is fitting.
Slacker: Whut? Huh? I hate this pencil. Buy some good ones next time.
Evil Teacher: I promise. . . . . . shakes head ever-so-slightly in wonder. . . . . .
(30 minutes later)
Slacker: I done mine in ink. Is that okay?
ET: No. Here’s another form; you have to use a #2 pencil.
Slacker: That sucks!!!!
ET: Yes. Yes, it does.
Slacker: Huh?
ET: You’re right. It definitely sucks. Do it anyway.
Slacker: Can I go to the can? I really gotta pee.
ET: Sure. You go to the can. And please wash your mouth out with soap before you return.
Slacker: Huh?
ET: I said, please remember to wash your hands before you return.
Slacker: Whutever. When you gots to pee, you gots to pee.
ET: You have thirty minutes remaining, you consummate dumbass Slacker.
Slacker: Do we got to do the ones on the back of the paper?
ET: Why, no. No, you don’t HAVE to do the ones on the back. In fact, you don’t HAVE to do ANY of them. It’s all about CHOICE. You are a FREE AGENT. You only HAVE to do the ones you WANT to do.
Slacker: Do whut? Huh?
ET: You don’t HAVE to wear your underpants rightside-out either, but most people do.
Slacker: Huh? So we don’t got to do the ones on the back?
ET: Yes. Yes, you do. You HAVE to do them.
Slacker: How’s come?
ET: Because I said so.
Slacker. Oh. Whutever.
(turns test in with only one side completed, and most of them wrong.)
Slacker: I gots a 9-month-old girl baby. She learning to talk.
ET: Dear Lord.
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So. How was YOUR day?
*Evil Teacher? That would be me.
P.S. Students lingering out in the hallway, hoping to hear a “show” and getting one, came back to the classroom to hug me and tell me they’d been sorry all semester that everyone had had to put up with Slacker; they congratulated me for not losing my temper, and then confessed that having Slacker in the room was like having dinner and a show along with the lessons. Now that it’s all over, I have to agree. I guess my question is, what kind of future does this guy have? I already know the answer; he’ll be leeching off all of US for the rest of his life. Sigh. Most of me resents that mightily and only a teensy part of me feels sorry for him. Life is full of choices. He chose to be a slacker.
Lighten Up, Oh Ye Of Little, No, or Different Faiths
Oh jeepers gee WHILIKERS, one of my posts has been syndicated on my wondrous BlogHer!
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Mamacita says: Okay, so, today’s what, the 15th? It’s time for another politically incorrect rant! Be warned, oh overly-sensitive types born without the ability to discern. . . .
I am a Christmas fanatic. I live for this season. I LOVE this time of year, the anticipatory days, the buildup, the baking, the decorating, the smiling faces, the wreaths, the trees, the twinkling lights that make the whole neighborhood look like the starry sky, the making of lists, the checking of them twice, the looking FORWARD, the happiness, the glow, the very atmosphere of the world.
Well, of the fun world, anyway, the nice world, the world of generous people who care; the grinches and grumps of the world don’t count. I believe in the TRUE meaning of Christmas, but if you don’t, that’s your business. I do think even non-believers could get into the SEASON, if not the REASON, and have a lot of fun with it, and most of them do and are glad of it. But every party needs a pooper, that’s why we invited you. . . . . so sit in the corner and complain and try to ruin it for the majority of the nation, go ahead, whine away, oh boo hoo your rights are being trampled because other people (who constitute a majority, by the way) are all happy and singing. . . oh, grow up and look around, you loser!!! Most of us are happier than usual, and thinking of others and trying to make our personal spaces a little prettier, and thinking generous thoughts for a change, and trying to help others in the coldest time of the year, and you’re picketing stores and throwing people’s innocent good will back in their faces and writing editorials demanding your scroogeish rights and doing your best to put a damper on it all.
Shame on you.
And, shame again. Lighten up. Embrace the emotional impact, if you don’t have it in you to embrace any other aspect of it. It’s a religious thing, yes, but nobody has a loaded gun to your right cheek demanding that you surrender all your own beliefs. But it’s also a cultural thing, and a seasonal thing, and an emotional thing, and a love thing, and a caring thing, and a sharing thing, and it makes people happy when they participate, and if you choose not to participate in any part of it, at least shut up about it so you don’t drag others down with you. You have your rights? Yes, you do. And so do the rest of us, and that’s something you don’t seem to wish to acknowledge in any way because you’re too busy trying to get an entire culture to shut down and do things your way. It’s not going to happen, Scrooge. If you don’t like it, move away.
Yes. Move away. You know, to some OTHER country where you’re allowed to worship, behave, believe, eat, drink, etc, exactly as you please. . . . . oops. Um, wait a second. IS there another country where you’re allowed to do those things? Besides this one that you spend all your time putting down?
I don’t THINK so.
Therefore, if you intend to stay here, please understand something: you have your rights, and so does everyone else. You choose to be joyless at this time of year, others choose to be joyful. Neither of us is going to change. You choose to hug your personal beliefs close and honestly, I’ve never heard you say anything positive at this time of year so I’m not altogether sure what your beliefs ARE, if indeed you have any goals except to stifle everyone else, but whatever they are, you’ve a right to them. Please collect your wits about you for a moment and discern that everyone else has rights, too. There are more of us than of you. Stay in your dark cheerless house if you don’t want to see happy sharing singing people.
Sit there in your dark hole and practice saying things like “Bah, humbug,” and “My RIGHTS are being obstructed!!!! Oh WAHHHHH” “How DARE that old lady smile at me and give my child a candy cane!” “My neighbors all have wreaths and I am SOOOO OFFENDED!” “A clerk wished me a Merry Christmas? I’ll SUE!” Stuff like that. Be sure your windows are open so the neighbors can hear you. Put a sign on your door, too, to warn people away lest a neighbor bring you a cake or a box of cookies – more signs that your rights are being disrespected.
What’s the matter, you can’t enjoy someone else’s holiday? Okay, then you should be the one who volunteers to work the Christmas shifts for people. It doesn’t mean anything to you, right? You’ll get more money, and that’s important to you, right? Then why aren’t you first in line for that? It would be a wonderful gift for a father or mother who would love to be home with their kids for Christmas. . . .but then, you don’t give gifts, do you, so that’s out. And asking you to work when others don’t would be yet another manisfestation of your rights being trampled.
Honestly. I hope you are in therapy.
But I digress. It’s the 15th of December, and I haven’t done any shopping* yet. My kids are going to have some kind of Christmas this year, and I don’t care if Tim and I don’t eat for a month afterwards. We don’t need to be eating, anyway, gad.
So, to the majority of the world, a very Merry Christmas. To the rest of you, carry on, and be careful lest you accidently eat a cookie or hear a song or see some twinkling lights; it might scar you for life. Watch out for smiling happy people, too, lest you be subjected to good wishes.
It’s going to be a very lean Christmas, but no power, principality, or grumpy old fart in the universe can keep it from being merry!
*And, by “going shopping,” what I’m really saying is, “I’m checking out the bargains online.” It’s cold outside.
P.S. By the way, I LOVE IT when people with different beliefs share. Sadly, they seldom seem to. Around these parts, such people mostly seem to get off on whining.
