Christmas excitement

As I've grown older, as happens with most people, Christmas has become more about stress than happy family times. In part, this is because family times can bring stress, and the presents that distract us from that stress go away or get less exciting when we get older. This year, however, I'm feeling excited for Christmas. It's a weird feeling. We have the same lights up as last year, the same number of presents and no substantial difference in our plans for the day itself. Something must be different, though. I've got some gifts to give that I'm keen to see opened, but others that disappoint me. One hasn't arrived yet, at the time of writing, because my online shopping was late.

Maybe that's it. Last year, I had all of December to stress and plan and shop and stress. This year we've started late, compressing all my Christmas energy into a shorter time. Is that plausible? I don't know. I'm tired right now, so my introspection gland isn't working properly. The whole point is that I plan to have a great Christmas, and I wish the same for you.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I get to spend a lot of time with my nephew, which will be pretty great.
PPS - Assuming he doesn't exhaust me immediately.

Merry Cmas!

If you're going to abbreviate the word "Christmas", personally I much prefer that you use the English initial "C" than the Greek "X" (chi). Just a personal preference. Merry Christmas!

Mokalus of Borg

PS - If you celebrate Christmas as a pagan winter festival, don't say "Christmas" at all.
PPS - Better say "Yule" for that.

Christmas 2012

The build-up to Christmas this year has occasionally caught me off guard, and occasionally felt really festive. It's odd to swing so quickly between "it can't be Christmas yet, I'm not ready" and "it's Christmas, and that's cool". A few times, it's been the heat and the cicadas outside that made me feel like it's Christmas time, because those feelings and sounds are strongly associated with the Christmases of my childhood.

I never really feel like I've done enough, and I usually feel like I can't do any more. I guess I'm just saying that Christmas has a kind of dual feeling to it. There's anticipation versus experience, expectation versus action and charity versus materialism. It can be hard to deal with, but I feel good about Christmas in general this year.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I wish I'd taken an extra day or two off work last week.
PPS - It would have helped me avoid the feeling of Christmas sneaking up on me.

I Am, You Are, We Are Australian

Today is Australia Day, and I think, as a nation, we still aren't sure what it means to be Australian. It might have something to do with dying in a war on a beach, or it might be all about sport, alcohol and cooking outdoors. People might throw around words like "larrikin" and "underdog", too, but I still don't think we're closer to really defining our national identity.

Maybe one of these days we'll get it clear, but for now I think it's better that we have just a vague stereotype. I'm Australian and you're Australian, and the different ways we express that is how we make up this nation. That way we don't define Australia by what we should be, but what we currently are, and there's nothing to point at and say "this is Australian, and you are not". It's inclusive. I like that.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - That's what "multiculturalism" is supposed to be, right?
PPS - That was never clearly defined either, but that's what I think.

Good Friday

Today being Good Friday, Deb and I attended a church service this morning. I've come to expect challenging messages from this preacher, and today was certainly no exception. He touched on the way Jesus did not conform to the image of Messiah in the culture of the day, in fact being humiliated and looking defeated on the cross, and that's pretty much all anyone could see at the time. He also mentioned the fact that Jesus was forgiving sins before he got to the cross, so that's not about him taking the punishment for your personal sins. It's about expending the very state of sin of all Creation. There were some tricky concepts in there that I will probably struggle to understand for a while, but on the whole it's a good thing.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - No zombie blog today.
PPS - Just for today, though. I'll resume next week.

Grey Australia Day

Today may be the greyest, most overcast and dreariest weather I've ever seen on Australia Day. I wouldn't let it get me down, but we have plans to drive over an hour to a park near the bay. If it's raining, that would make the trip feel much less cheerful.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - At least I have the day off work.
PPS - And breakfast, whether here or there, will be delicious.

Update: Apparently we drove out past the dreary weather for the breakfast barbeque, which made all the difference. Some day I must live by the beach. It's my natural habitat.

Merry Christmas

A very merry Christmas from me to you. I hope your day is filled with cheer, various acceptable gifts and way too much food, if that is your tradition. Otherwise, have a nice day and relax if you can.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Personally I'll be trying not to overeat at family lunch and dinner.
PPS - Fortunately, if I fail, I still have a week until I go back to work.