It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Sometimes there are things that poke at you. They aren't things that you feel particularly enraged about. They are just things that, well, bug you. And this time of year, there are a few things that bug me.

1) "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". Um, no, actually. Last time I checked, the seasons were caused by Earth spinning away on her twenty-three-and-a-half-degree axis as she journeys around the sun. And we won't get into the whole "the Romans decided to celebrate Jesus' birth at the Winter Solstice to steal the pagan festival" thing, because it has been done to death. If you are the one person on the planet who doesn't know what I mean, just Google "pagan traditions Christmas" to give you enough redundant reading material to keep you busy until next December.

2) "Keep Christ in Christmas". Well, to be honest, I support this one. If you are going to have a celebration for someone, it would be nice to keep the guest of honour at the centre of the thing. Just please don't use "Keep Christ in Christmas" as being synonymous with "Jesus is the Reason for the Season".

3) Don't assume that because I'm pagan, it is my "spiritual duty" to shun Christmas carols just because they have the name "Jesus" in them. I love singing about Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, too.

4) Rampant commercialism. It makes me want to throw up. Can't we just be happy with the little things? Can't we just show each other we care with little thoughtful gestures, and not big-screen TVs, or, gods forbid, cars with big red bows on them? Can't we just find ways to say "you matter to me" without getting ourselves deep into debt? Just a thought.

5) People who get their knickers in a knot over "Happy Holidays" and "Season's Greetings". It is not "political correctness run amok". It's a way of saying, "We might not have the same celebration, but my wish for joy and peace for you is the same."

Okay, I'm done ranting. Thank you for listening. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming.