Christmas Greetings!

Dear friends,

I suddenly realized that, if any of you were to visit the blog during this week, there would be nothing for you to see!

I'm still one of those pesky agnostics / atheists, and as such don't celebrate Christian festivals with the believing crowd.  But I was brought up in a family that went obsessively to church, and sang hymns and stuff until our heads came off, so I still (surreptitiously) send greetings to anyone who happens to be around, and it cheers me up, and it cheers them up, and ... you know?  It is full of goodness!

Earlier today, one of my friends mentioned that she had heard Chanticleer singing on the radio while she was driving over.  Chanticleer is an awesome a cappella ensemble from California, whose records are to die for.  So I looked on Amazon for a Christmas CD.  I have one Christmas CD from them, so I thought, I'll send out for this latest one.  Well, guess what.  They have a dozen Christmas CDs!  Now I feel ignorant.

I wish I had put together a Christmas playlist consisting of all the music I mention in connection with Christmas in any of my stories, but I don't know how to do that.  One can't be a recluse and know all about technology as well.

This year, viewed against the background of the past few years, stands out as a really great year.  Not a fantastic year, but still a good one.  I don't want to appear to be a Pollyanna, seeing something good in every situation, but I am a sort of glass-half-full kind of person, though it was tough to be me these last few years.  (Even now, I'm horrified to read about the women in Iran who are being bullied and killed by government-sanctioned violence.) I firmly believe that it would be wrong for the US to interfere militarily.  But it is becoming clear that it is wrong for any government to enforce religious behavior.  (And some folks in state governments in the US are doing exactly that, with abortion.)

I fervently hope that the goodwill of the holidays will extend to Washington, but I'm afraid that many of the most aggressive actors are preoccupied with winning elections and nothing else, and they'll continue to make points as long as they can.

Kay