I’d like to wish each and every one of you a wonderfully merry Christmas and marvelous new year! As I look back on 2007 one of the things I will most remember is the renewing of old friendships, just as others seem to be drifting apart. I hope that 2008 will be a time of restoring bonds with those who make our lives so much fuller and richer simply by being near.

Much love to my partner, parents and friends. And to all, be safe this holiday season.

When I began this website nearly 4 years ago, I did so in the midst of an 18 month wasteland of unemployment. It was a tough go. The economy was still reeling from 9/11 and the air had been sucked out of Silicon Valley’s sails. Sure there was the odd job here and there, but nothing permanent, or remotely secure.

Now we are hitting the end of 2007 and Christmas is nearly upon us. It is a time of merriment and good cheer, of spending time with family and friends. It also happens to be a popular time to lay people off.

Unfortunately the company I worked at for over two years sent me packing last week. It didn’t completely surprise me… there had been a gradually decreasing amount of work and an uncertain recovery from a failed merger several months before. But I suspect like most people I find that the timing really pisses me off. How about we move the end of the fiscal year til spring? That way any need to compensate for year-end losses will fall long after the holiday season is over. Sounds sensible to me. Who do I call?

In any event the job quest begins anew. For now the wasteland is no where to be seen. But I suspect it sits just over the horizon. Just out of view.

Until next time…

Seems Bill’s kilt is all ablaze over a Lowes in Texas which posted a sign selling Holiday trees instead of Christmas trees, and views that and similar efforts as a sinister and highly organized attack on Christmas and all its symbols.

Sorry, but it sounds a little conspiratorial to me. For the record, bringing a tree into the home and decorating it around Christmas is a German tradition that hardly dates back to the time of Christ. It’s also a tremendous symbol of commercialism, and therein lies my argument. Isn’t it more likely that calling it a Holiday tree is an attempt to be more inclusive, considering the diversity of peoples and faiths of this country, and to appeal to a larger audience? Perhaps, to sell more trees?

What about greeting cards? Retailers also recognize the convenience and the need to sell “Happy Holidays” cards. For instance, if one has Jewish and Christian friends, it makes more sense to buy a box of Happy Holiday cards instead of spending twice as much on Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah cards

The irony here is the loudest voices opposed to this generalized holiday message tend to be pro-business, and pro profit. And that’s exactly what the retailers are up to, and not laying siege to a holiday the symbolic importance of which diminishes every year beneath the weight of the almighty dollar.

Don’t get me wrong. I prefer Christmas trees to Holiday trees, and Merry Christmas cards to Happy Holiday cards (unless I am short on cash). That’s how I was brought up. That’s how we celebrated. But I am not offended that some choose to generalize the message. There’s plenty else to be concerned about. I am more offended by obscene greed. And by obscene profit. Both of which go on during the holidays and year round.

Perhaps if we were placing presents at the foot of a crucifix and laying out cookies for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost there’d be good reason for this row. While admittedly an extreme example, Christmas would likely have a lot more meaning than it does now.