Category: Holidays

The War on Christmas: An Exit Strategy

Let’s face it: Christmas is not the exclusive property of those who think God came to earth 2000 years ago as a baby in Bethlehem. I caught the Christmas bug from my parents, who were militant atheists of the Richard Dawkins ilk. I celebrated it with my first husband, the son of Jewish atheists. True, we tried Chanukah too one year, but it bombed with the kids. What’s a little Chanukah gelt compared to a floor-full of presents? My second husband, who had been inadvertently converted to atheism by the nuns at Catholic school, was the worst. We fought over whether to measure the extent of our excess by the volume of presents under the tree or their weight as determined by the bathroom scale.

Barbara Ehrenreich, who has more.

Ups and Downs

The coffee looks like I messed up the math — I mean it is seriously strong coffee. Typing may become a little jittery soon.

Went to Kohl’s last night (it’s a department store chain). All their Christmas decorations and related items were marked down 50-55%. Not only does the Christmas season seem to come earlier every year, now the Day After Christmas sales are coming earlier, too. If stuff is half-price now, what will it be December 26th?

I bought a cool Christmas stocking holder. It’s St. Nick with a long trailing list of naughty and nice kids to serve as the hook for the stocking. Half-price.

There are holiday lights up all over the neighborhood, of course. And, as always, there are some idiots leaving them on all night. Get a timer guys; how hard can it be? We are expected to turn our porch lights off in this neighborhood at 10PM (unless we need them, of course.) We get to see the stars that way.

The chicken club tacos at Chili’s are pretty good.

Last week I saw a young woman I’ve known for several years. She was carrying a small dog. Apparently this Jack Russell went with her everywhere. Inseparable.

I learned last night that she had broken up with the guy who gave her the dog. And he took the dog back! I suppose the only good side to that story is that his taking back the dog confirmed the rightness of the breaking up.

NewMexiKen did spend a lot of time yesterday redoing some of the underlying code for this site. You may notice I’ve added an Astronomy Picture of the Day thumbnail and link, and an Albuquerque weather sticker. (Right sidebar.) I failed at getting either Picasa Web Albums or Flickr to work — that is, to load thumbnails from them to this page. Anyone know the secret?

Don’t forget to send Cat a postcard.

And this, your most important assignment today, go read Bill Moyer’s talk at West Point. Allow time to recover.

The Pilgrims

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after have a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the company almost a week, at which time amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

From the only contemporary account of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, a letter by Edward Winslow dated December 11, 1621.

And for all the talk about other Thanksgivings — and they surely do deserve recognition — and how the traditions we have now have very little to do with the actual Pilgrims, let’s give them — and the Wampanoags — some credit.

Worst Travel Day of the Year

(CBS/AP) RAMSEY, N.J. Some wild turkeys, it appears, were trying to get out of New Jersey before Thanksgiving.

NJ Transit officials reported seeing a dozen or so wild turkeys waiting on a Ramsey train station platform Wednesday. The line continues to Mahwah and Suffern, N.Y.

Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, said the sighting wasn’t a joke.

“For a moment, it looked like the turkeys were waiting for the next outbound train,” he said “Clearly, they’re trying to catch a train and escape their fate.”

wcbstv.com

I Think I’ll Have Dinner at Alice’s Today

Thanksgiving Day brings us a rare moment of coming together. A tradition that crosses boundaries. No, it’s not eating supper with family or even watching football. For radio fans and programmers alike, today’s holiday is best celebrated by the playing of one song, Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant.” That song, which was originally released as the 18-minute “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” will be heard today ….

The song, which is usually broadcast in either the original album track form or the even longer 30th anniversary live version, relates a Thanksgiving story. In it, Guthrie talks about enjoying a Thanksgiving feast with friends in Stockbridge at the title restaurant. After that, things get weird. The singer relates taking out the trash and, having no place to legally drop it because of the holiday, dumping it illegally. This leads to a long, shaggy-dog tale of being arrested for littering that turns into both an anti-Vietnam War protest and a statement of human rights. Somehow, by the end, he has turned the song into a statement that in union there is strength. And the best way to demonstrate that communal strength? Everyone, as listeners know, must sing along with the familiar refrain: “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.” As the singer points out, if we can pull ourselves together to do that, we can change the world.

The Boston Globe

Downloadable versions from the Alice’s Restaurant Massacree Concert / Radio Show.

Alice Brock — the actual Alice.

The First Thanksgiving

On April 30th four centuries ago, our ancestors, led by Don Juan de Oñate, reached the banks of El Rio Bravo (Rio Grande). The first recorded act of thanksgiving by colonizing Europeans on this continent occurred on that April day in 1598 in Nuevo Mexico, about 25 miles south of what is now El Paso, Texas. After having begun their northward trek in March of that same year, the entire caravan was gathered at this point. The 400 person expedition included soldiers, families, servants, personal belongings, and livestock . . . virtually a living village. Two thirds of the colonizers were from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands). There was even one Greek and a man from Flanders! The rest were Mexican Indians and mestizos (mixed bloods).

The starting point for the colonists had been in Zacatecas, Nueva España (now Mexico) and by being part of the colonizing expedition they had been promised the title of Hidalgo, men with rights and privileges equal to Spain’s nobility. Juan de Oñate was a man of wealth and prominence, the son of Cristobal Oñate, silver mine owner whose family had come to the New World from the Basque region of Spain. Titles granted to him by Viceroy Luis de Velasco were Governor and Adelantado of New Mexico. The colonists suffered hardships and deprivations as they headed north, but they were also headed toward posterity: they would participate in the first recorded act of Thanksgiving by colonizing Europeans on this continent—22 years before the English colonists similarly gave thanks on the Atlantic coast. The expedition is well recorded by Gaspar Perez de Villagrá, the Spanish poet who traveled with the group. He wrote, “We were sadly lacking in all knowledge of the stars, the winds, and other knowledge by which to guide our steps.”

On April 30, 1598, the scouts made camp along the Rio Grande and prepared to drink and eat their fill, for there they found fishes and waterfowl. Villagrá wrote,

We built a great bonfire and roasted meat and fish, and then sat down to a repast the like of which we had never enjoyed before.” Before this bountiful meal, Don Juan de Oñate personally nailed a cross to a living tree and prayed, “Open the door to these heathens, establish the church altars where the body and blood of the Son of God may be offered, open to us the way to security and peace for their preservation and ours, and give to our king and to me in his royal name, peaceful possession of these kingdoms and provinces for His blessed glory. Amen.”

Excerpted from The New Mexico Genealogical Society

Thanks to Hullaballo for the link.

Thanksgiving, As Best We Know

Conclusion from a thoughtful and thorough article in The Christian Science Monitor (November 27, 2002).

There are many myths surrounding Thanksgiving. Here are nine things we do know are true about the holiday.

1. The first Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration in 1621 that lasted for three days.

2. The feast most likely occurred between Sept. 21 and Nov. 11.

3. Approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians and 52 colonists – the latter mostly women and children – participated.

4. The Wampanoag, led by Chief Massasoit, contributed at least five deer to the feast.

5. Cranberry sauce, potatoes – white or sweet – and pies were not on the menu.

6. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag communicated through Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, who knew English because he had associated with earlier explorers. [In fact, Squanto (or Tisquantum), had spent several years in Europe and England.]

7. Besides meals, the event included recreation and entertainment.

8. There are only two surviving descriptions of the first Thanksgiving. One is in a letter by colonist Edward Winslow. He mentions some of the food and activities. The second description was in a book written by William Bradford 20 years afterward. His account was lost for almost 100 years.

9. Abraham Lincoln named Thanksgiving an annual holiday in 1863.

And this, The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings.

They’d Just Be a Damn Nuisance

Loot

This is my eighth year at Casa NewMexiKen and the total number of trick-or-treaters that have come to my door in that time is zero. I kind of miss seeing the little extortionists.

(I was in Virginia the last two years for Halloween. Plenty of little ‘uns there.)

In the past when the kids would come up and say “trick or treat” I’d say, “OK, I’ll take the trick” and just look at them for a few seconds before dishing out the candy. The little brats would just stare back, dumbfounded and totally clueless about dealing with an unpredictable situation.

I’m lucky I wasn’t arrested.

Photo of Aidan, in Virginia, with his loot.

Where I was a kid, there was some expectation that (a) you would wear a costume when trick-or-treating, and (b) if you were old enough to drive, then you would not go trick-or-treating.

When did that change and why?

– Freakonomics Blog: Steven D. Levitt

All Hallow E’en

From Today’s Inspiration, a Saturday Evening Post Halloween cover illustration from 1958.

And via Annette’s Notebook, the Lunch Box of the DAMNED.

Here’s the ultimate (ultimate poor taste, that is) Halloween Decoration. I can’t wait to see what they do for Christmas the holidays.

Google has a Halloween logo, though it’s not on the Google Holiday Logos page yet.

Halloween Google

NewMexiKen could probably still identify the house that gave away packages of Krun-Chee potato chips when I was a seven or eight year old. And that someone in that same block gave out full size candy bars. Now granted, a full size candy bar in those days cost just a nickel, but “a dollar’s worth” was a common gasoline purchase then, too.

Oh, and be very careful watching this. It’s scary and the special effects will amaze you.

Happy Halloween!

Decorating for Halloween

As sun streamed through the clerestory windows for the first time since NewMexiKen arrived home from Virginia, I noticed that I won’t have to do much decorating for Halloween this year.

The cobwebs are already up.

Thinking About Columbus Day

Today is the second Monday in October and the day we celebrate the federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus. Last year I posted some thoughts on the matter. Here they are again (with a few inconsequential edits):

NewMexiKen is well aware of the feelings among many American Indians and others about Columbus Day. One Lakota woman who worked for me used to ask if—as a protest—she could come in and work on Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

My feeling is that we can’t have enough holidays and so I choose to think of Columbus Day as the Italian-American holiday. Nothing wrong with that. We have an African-American holiday on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. We have the Irish-American celebration that is St. Patrick’s Day. And Cinco de Mayo is surely the Mexican-American holiday, a much larger celebration here than in most of Mexico.

So, instead of protesting Columbus Day, perhaps American Indians should organize and bring about a holiday of their very own. Given the great diversity among Indian nations (and, lets face it, a proclivity for endless debate), the tribes might never reach agreement, though, so NewMexiKen will suggest a date.

The day before Columbus Day.

Sunday Is Grandparents Day (I’m thinking presents and cash)

“Grandparents Day was the brainchild of Marian McQuade of Fayette County, W.Va., who hoped that such an observance might persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents. The first presidential proclamation was issued in 1978, and one has been issued each year since — designating the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. In honor of our nation’s grandparents, the Census Bureau presents an array of data about these unsung role models and caregivers.”

  • About 56 million — Number of grandparents in the United States.
  • 5.7 million — The number of grandparents whose grandchildren under 18 live with them.
  • 2.4 million — The number of grandparents responsible for most of the basic needs (i.e., food, shelter, clothing) of one or more of the grandchildren who live with them. These grandparents represent about 42 percent of all grandparents whose grandchildren live with them. Of these caregivers, 1.5 million are grandmothers and 880,000 are grandfathers.
  • 920,000 — Number of grandparents responsible for caring for their grandchildren for at least the last five years.
  • 28% — Among preschoolers with employed mothers, the percentage regularly cared for by their grandparent during the hours their mom spends employed outside the home. No other type of child care arrangement was more prevalent than by grandparents.
  • 6.1 million — The number of children living with a grandparent; these children comprise 8 percent of all children in the United States. Of these children, 4.1 million lived in a grandparent’s home and 1.9 million in a parent’s home.
  • Recent research by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) reveals that more than 80 percent of the nation’s grandparents had visited or spoken with their grandchildren by phone in the past month.
  • About 3 million — Number of Grandparents Day cards given, nationwide, each year.

— US Census Press Releases

An even surer sign that Christmas is coming

Forget the appearance of Christmas toys and decorations at Costco in August. Here’s this year’s first idiocy complaining that stores are leaving Christmas out of the holidays; this from the American Family Association.

“Last week the first Christmas ad came out, and that was for Sam’s Club, owned by the Wal-Mart Stores Corporation,” the AFA spokesman explains. “The ad is clearly meant to promote Christmas decorations and Christmas tree items,” he says, “but Sam’s Club refuses to refer to Christmas as Christmas. They simply use the generic term holiday.”

And it’s not even Labor Day.

Maybe Sam’s should just go with “Noël.” French surely would be a satisfactory solution for all. It is the language of diplomacy.