Home for the Holidays

Today, the Flogging Whip slipped out of its not-so-guilded cage in my abode this morning with the intention to smack those treasonous House GOPer's in the arse. The focus was to be on how ridiculous they have been this year with the use of several lines from films to motivate their peeps in their desire to ruin America as we know it.

I was on the verge of spending time with the Whip this morning to write about all of the above until I saw, and then read, Jason Linkins' article in The Huffington Post!

Drat! Linkins and others beat me to it! In fact, the entire article contains almost everything I was planning to say/write. So, it is with humble intent that I will share his observations with you, as they are excellent. After that, I'll try to find another subject to include in this post. Films As Inspiration For Bringing Down America

Hmmmm.

What to write that others have not? It's the Friday before Christmas; it's the 4th day of Hanukkah, and one might expect me to write about the season now that hoards of people all over the world are getting out of town ASAP for their holiday vacation; be it just a few days off or a full week and a few days to be with friends or family or a ski slope or a beautiful white beach near a turquoise ocean in a sultry tropical wonderland.

In Los Angeles, this time of year is actually the best time to stay home as half of the sprawling LA city-dwellers are out of town; the roads are less congested, and once-noisy neighborhoods are quiet. So, unlike previous years, I am staying home.

Each Christmas for quite some time I have spent the Christmas holiday with my mother in another city, or in a snow-covered mountain resort for the true feeling of the season and a bit of cross-country skiing. It's usually a pleasant break to get away for 3-4 days at the minimum. as well as to make my mother happy to see her only child when we get together.

But this year, with a physical recovery still in progress on my end (making travel a wee bit challenging), we decided to go our separate ways, having spent a rather horrendous Thanksgiving together watching a real life version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" unfold before our eyes.

We're kinda burned-out from that day - still.

It's fine for both of us to take a break. Due to my absence, she will be helping a lonely friend get through the day with an excellent dinner and a few games of Bridge. And I will be able to do whatever I choose to do in a spontaneous spirit. Plans are already in place to have a sprightly Sunday evening with friends, among other options before and after.

Otherwise, had my mother and I not made the last-minute decision, I would be at the train station this very minute squeezed into a mucking-about pack of disparate commuters on a seat-less concrete platform waiting for our train to arrive. How nice to have a "normal" day for a change at this time of year!

I love not feeling rushed, obligated, pressured. To me, that is what a true "Holiday" looks and feels like. I've come to the belief that constantly trying to please others, as well as following traditions like lemmings following each other over a cliff, makes many holidays a chore - an unpleasant, forced experience of mirth. What matters most is enjoying your time with others or your vacation, isn't it?

In a time of giving, it may be that giving our loved ones space, and providing the same for ourselves, is the greatest gift of all.