Let Me Start Off by Saying...

Sorry for the delay. Boy have I been busy! After cleaning my house twice before Family Game night on Saturday (you don't want to know why I had to clean twice...), hosting Family Game Night (a raging success, from what the critics are saying...), cleaning again on Sunday and then decorating for Xmas that same day, then talking to Tamie for what I can only say sarcastically was quite some time on Monday after work, nursing poor Richie back to health from a nasty nasty cold... well, you kind of get the idea...

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But throughout these past few days, two very interesting topics came up which I feel need addressed in the public arena:

1. Witches, and
2. Jesus Birthday Cakes,

and not necessarily in that order.

Let us start with Jesus' Birthday Cake, shall we? It came up, as these things often do, by a conversation with either my mother or Rich's mother. I'm not sure were this one originated from, but I'm thinking it had something to do with the Diehl family trying to arrange a time for the Xmas get-together. So there we are, Monday night, having just rung off with Tamie, and Rich says (his nasal passages blocked, remember, due to the nasty nasty cold...)

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Rich: Are we gobing to sing habby birfday to Jebus?
Me: What do you want to do to Jesus?
Rich: Have a Jebus birfday cake. You know, sing habby birfday to him?
Me: Why would we do that?
Rich: Welb, it's a trabition in your fambily and mine...
Me: And?
Rich: Since we arebn't goibing to be seeing them on Chribmas day, I thoughb we should do it ourselbes...
Me: A) You don't know yet if we're going to be seeing them or not, and B) if indeed you do wish a "birfday cake" for "Jebus," I'll make you one, but you'll be singing solo.
Rich: Oh...
Me: (Sigh.) What?
Rich: Nubbin.
Me: Yes, something. What's the matter?
Rich: I jub thing it woulb be nice to do. It ibs the reabon for the season, you know...
Me: A) No, it isn't. It happens to be some people's, no matter how faulty or misconstrued, but it is not THE reason. B) If it'll make you happy, fine, we'll both sing, but I'm singing to Carl in Singapore whose birthday is also December 25th.
Rich: Whobse Carl?
Me: Never mind. Listen, if it turns out no one makes you a Jebus cake--
Rich: Stob making fun ob my cold!
Me: I'll make you a Jebus cake...

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Now, when we get closer to the winter solstice, I'll give you all the true low-down on the church's stealing of pagan holidays and such to "spread the message" of Jebus, but until then, I'll just let this one go for now as lunch is half-way over and I still have to coverWITCHES:My mom thinks there may be a witch in the family (through boyfriend/girlfriend type stuff, not blood) and she made it quite clear this was not a Glinda-type witch from Wizard of Oz but a green one. Of course, we both paused when she said this and had a great laugh, but when we conversed a little further, a few points of interest came up:

1. spells
2. green skin

I'm sorry, but I don't see a difference between "casting a spell" and "praying for someone." What is the difference? So the fundie doesn't boil Bat Wings and Eyeball of Newt over a great big fire in the woods at night (and, if you know any witches, they'll get very pissed at this stereotypical picture of what they do to cast a spell!), but basically, both the witch and the fundie are sending out a wish on a hope and a prayer, hoping their respective Flying Spaghetti Monsters will honor them in a way that makes we earthlings a little happier. Of course, you could expound different doctrines or belief systems, but, boiled down, they are the exact same action. Appealing to a Great Sky God in the hopes that someone or something is listening (whatever you think the great sky god may be...) and that your wish, your hope, your dreams, will be granted. Am I wrong or am I right?

As a side thought, wouldn't it be nice if people did come color-coded? So you could tell who was a raging bible-thumper and who was just a Concerned Citizen for Jebus? Of course, we haven't done that well dealing with the colors we do already come in, so maybe we'll just pass on that idea....

As I said, as Xmas gets closer, we'll discuss the holiday's originations and what it started out as a celebration of, but if you have any thoughts to add about either topic at this time, I promise I'll be around to respond to comments (if needed...) tomorrow or perhaps even tonight, depending on if someone is feeling up to decorating our naked Xmas tree...

Catch you all later!