"..what do you believe?"

We are in the thick of the holiday season here in the United States. It's supposed to be a time of joy, community love, sharing, sympathy, forgiveness, and fun.. But as with many traditions that start out as a good idea, they somehow get skewed over the years- like a global "telephone game". So Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays... are all now economically driven- over-capitalized affairs.

And we still love them.

While many cultures celebrate various events- genreally families even add their own variations in. Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday over the years. It wasn't just the food that made it enjoyable.. My blood relatives were always far away- we never really spent holidays together. So, it was in the community which I grew up in that I developed close ties- my extended family.. and for Thanksgiving, more so than the other holidays, it seemed more appropriate for friends and families alike to spend that time together. The entire Highschool football team, it seemed- would play the annual game against our rival team, then return to go house hopping all over town. Friends who didn't have particularly good relationships with their parents would find themselves at my table, and I was always welcome to drop by others. It wasn't the misprecieved celebration of an arrogant historical moment between the hospitality of the Native Americans and the origional Immigrants- no.. I enjoy the holiday spirit, and the idea that everyone can be thankful for what they have... instead of always being bombarded with advertiements and messages telling them to be otherwise dissatisfied with their lives.

Valentines Day.. it is oh so beautiful to celebrate love. Love has inspired poems, books, and babies.. and could probably solve the world's problems if people were so compassionate as to accept it as much as they strive to give it. But unfortunitally, the world is not such a place to foster the delicate emotion on such a scale.. and it is outragiously belittled to be sold as heart shaped everything, bad chocolate with cheap sparkling wine and marked up red roses. Yep, apparently it isn't enough to actually care about someone unconditionally.. sparkly things are required... every year. Or not.. I'd be happy with a smile, a kiss, and some sincerity.. or even romantic love letters like St.Valentine origionally wrote to his true love from the confinds of his jail cell. There's always something special about a handwritten letter- especially in today's digial world. (They don't even teach children to write in script anymore! It's going to be like a foreign language when our generation is elderly... but that viewpoint is a discussion for another day.)

Mother's and Father's Days........ appreciate them everyday, how bout?

and I can't even talk about Christmas.. we all know the mangled mess that tradition has become between the religious symbolism and St.Nicholas adaptation- to a glorious mess of foiled gift wrap, fake trees, and crowded shopping malls.

Actually, this year I even put a twist on my gift giving techniques. It's true- I don't affiliate myself with any religion. The holiday celebrations are more out of habbit than anything else. But I am adimant in my belief that giving gifts should not require an occasion.. and furthermore, should never feel like an obligation. This even includes birthdays in my mind. When I am out and about, if I see something that I know a person would enjoy.. I get it and give it to them. Not only does this give me more gratification.. but the person recieving it is usually that much more excited. ...how many gifts have you gotten over the years from people who don't know you very well, or you could tell just grabbed something last minute, just to get it... and it leaves you with a question mark hanging over your head- mind reeling, "OMG WHAT IS THAT? WHY WOULD ANYONE BUY THIS?" ...that scenario- totally avoidable in my book. Plus, as an added bonus- you don't feel financial stress. Do something nice for people you REALLY care about, when you can- and when your wallet can. *shrug*

Back to my twist- I created a puzzle- to make the process more fun, for me at least. I got a bunch of really awesome stuff over the course of the last few months, nothing I wouldn't gladly buy for myself- and gave the "gift sets" names like: "Be Asian." "Be his sunshine." ..and "Be knocked out." All the names related to the gifts... but don't give away the surprise. So as my puzzle recipiants solved the puzzle, they could get dibbs on whatever gift title appealed most to them... maybe I'm cheesy and lame.. but since it's the time of year people DO exchange gifts, I wanted to switch it up for my own mentallity's sake..

Going back to the comment I made about not affiliating myself with a religion- I feel like more and more people are in my boat. Politicians and religious advocates have hosted statements such as, "a Godless nation", "a land of loose morals and values", "...falling apart".

What's falling apart exaclty? Just becasue I don't believe that the writing in The Holy Bible, The Quaran, The Torrah, or any other manuscript are supreme and just- does not mean I philander the streets with vulgar behavior and dishonesty. I just like to found my personal beliefs on reason. Just as I've said over and over again... I like things to make sense. If any religion made sense to me (though, I am not affluent with the intricacies of all religions).. I'm sure I'd be open to giving it a go. Til then- I'm so neutral, beige looks bold... by affiliation anyway. I do have my own theories about creation and all that jazz.

Well, I guess to sum this up- I'll make mention of New Years. It is the global celebration that recognises the passage of time. Every year brings memories, progress, faiure.. and hope that the next year might be better. I ook forward to the new year. It's a hepful marker in the chroneology of making persona changes to better myself.

What's your resoution?