Special Days

Valentine’s Day is yet another holiday that gets a bad rap even though it’s solidly in the Christian tradition. I understand the resistance. The observation today is a money-making scheme. If you don’t spend money on flowers, candies, expensive dinner reservations (and don’t forget the Hallmark™ card of sappy sentimentality) then you’re a stingy schlep with a heart two…

     Thanksgiving is almost upon us and, like Halloween, there’s some excess baggage that comes with it. For one thing, there’s the blatant commercial aspect. I don’t just mean Black Friday, though I’m certainly not fund of such, but within the celebration of the Holiday itself, there’s the expectation now of consuming more than we need. Second helpings are expected! I…

Today is Election Day. And I’m aware of all the rhetoric. I don’t mean campaign rhetoric about for whom to vote. I mean the rhetoric of getting out to vote. It’s your duty, you can’t complain if you don’t vote (that’s my favorite), don’t take it for granted, don’t let someone else pick for you. That’s all fine. You should vote and I hope you have. But there’s a hard…

Full disclosure: I love Halloween. Objectively, it’s a great holiday. What other day do fully grown adults get to play dress up without being police being involved? Well, there’s cosplay, but that’s a different article. Children get candy and mostly from people who they’ve never met. Nevermind the urban legends about tainted treats, getting free…