And may the spirit of Humanism bless and keep you.. and Merry Christmas too!

In the States it’s snowing and snowing and snowing. In the DR we had a small earthquake, a little rain and that’s about it. Guess you could say that this isn’t exactly a festive Christmas down here in the Caribbean but it’s very hard for me to feel jolly without all of the positive signs of the holiday visible around me. In fact, I see things that depress me more than fill me with the Christmas spirit.

Every other Friday it’s grocery day and the normal two places to go, PriceMart and Nacional. To get to them you need to force your way through homcidal, ignorant and utterly selfish drivers. You must me approached (and always end up giving money too) impoverished children who’s hair is going pale with malnutrition while the rich in their SUVs ignore them. Today I saw a young man wash a windshield and then watch as the car drove away without paying him. At another corner a mother sits under a tree at one corner of the intersection while he children, as young as my two little ones, beg at car windows. My wife sees the same kids at the interestion all the time. It’s gut wrenching and heart breaking and makes me want to scream at the rich in this country who use their positions to get richer and ignore the poor. What it most certain does most is make me think that Christmas without the Christmas spirit is just another day of injustice. Sounds Liberal as hell, doesn’t it. Good.

What was that Christmas song made back in the 80′s for aid to Africa? “Do they know it’s Christmas?”?? Well, at 6am a couple of mornings ago I sure as shit did. A marching band..an “in full uniform” marching fucking band, came down our residential street (residential except for the god shop across the way) pumping away at a Christmas tune. They weren’t that bad really, but the incongruity of them waking the world up at 6am just makes me shake my head and wonder what genius thought up doing such a thing. I mean, I realize that considering your fellow man in any way, shape or form disappears in this country as fast as it takes a person to step across the threshhold of their church and into the light of day but 6am??? Ridiculous but not, I will say, unbelievable here.

I love Christmas and don’t call it “Happy Holidays” for the simple reason that I don’t consider Christmas to be a religious holiday. For sure it never started out that way. The day was, in fact, a Turkish cult celebration day (considering that Jesus was a June baby I think we don’t have to really worry about the Christ sitting in heaven with a party hat every year but having to watch us idolize Santa Claus instead) and at the same time roughly celebrated alone with the Roman festival of Saturnalia. I think it’s pretty clear that the early church wanted to pre-empt the pagan holidays and chose December 25th as their day. I don’t particularly care, really. I think it’s a fine time of year to think of joy and being good to people and giving gifts. Without the baggage of religion attached I love how people feel good, feel the urge to be nicer, give gifts and celebrate the really, truly good things that the holiday season brings.

So, whatever the hell you think Christmas is there for, I want to wish you all a Merry whateverthe fuck. Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukhah, Happy “I invented my own religion” (I’m looking at you Kwanzah-Klaus) or Winter Solstice. To all the Atheists out there I say this; don’t sweat the symbolism, dudes. It’s harmless as long as your ain’t near the church when it lets out and the days off are nice. Get your kids some presents, stuff their stockings and watch the cartoons, which are first class this time of year. I recommend “The Polar Express”.

Personally, as a non-religious person I plan on saying “Merry Christmas” to everyone this year because, quite frankly, I like the way it sounds. I’ve already played the big fat guy in the red suit twice this year and if you saw the kids smiling at Santa, singing songs with him and being so happy when they got presents, you’d realize that it isn’t religion that makes this holiday special.

It’s love.

Some pie-crust promises for the New Year. Resolving to resolve.

Here’s a straightforward list of what I am thankful for this year, in no particular order.

1. The health and happiness of my wife and children.
2. The safe pregnancy, seeming good health and upcoming birth of Alistair George Taylor..the last of the line.
3. Being a Foreign Service Officer for the greatest country on the face of the planet. It’s the greatest job and the hardest job but the most rewarding.
4. Having a job, with promotions and raises, in uncertain times. I was poor when times were good and rich when times were bad.
5. My supervisors and colleagues. I have been very lucky. In a bad situation I have a Consul General, a Chief of Visa Operations and two supervisors (in ACS and IV) who are all fair, decent and exceptional people. I’m lucky, for them and for the fellow foot soldiers who make days bearable.
6. Barack Hussein Obama. Nothing more to say there.
7. A very few, but very dear, friends. They’re spread around the world, in Manila and Iloilo, in Washington, DC and the burbs therein, here in Santo Domingo and around the globe. I love you all and miss you terrible..unless you’re right here of course.
8. Being chosen to become the ACS Chief in Taipei. I still have some trouble believing that. With that comes two years of learning Mandarin Chinese, which I’ve already started and already find fascinating.
9. Last but of course not last, LOVE. I am blessed and cursed by it because I feel strongly about so many things. It’s love that is strong and because of that affects me strongly. It is also love that drives me forward, pushed me out of bed in the morning and puts tears of joy in my eyes to realize what I’ve been given in life. There’s much to love in this world and much to scorn, but I hope to have more to love as life goes on.

Next year I’ll publish my New Year’s Resolutions. That ought to be fun. I wonder how much the 1ǃᆝ list will resemble the 1ǃᆜ list. Funny how much copy and pasting I do with these things.