Merry (F'ing) Christmas. Hard To Be Merry About Anything.

[haele]

13. The winter season is always about death and rebirth.

I'm not a Christian, but I've got family and friends who are, so I celebrate Christmas with them as well as my own traditions.

The longest nights, the shortest days, the chaotic weather, the pace of the season. And the gathering together to survive, the laughing in the face of apparent decline because it doesn't last. The wheel of the year turns. Spring will come.

Sure, the tax bill is an abomination, just as is the Hurricanes that wiped out most of Puerto Rico, the winter wild fires that have destroyed the homes and livelihoods of hundreds, if not thousands of Californians.
It's the winter destruction. But we gather together in grim merriment to share what we have, plan the strategies for the new year, and if nothing else, fart in the general direction of those destructive forces that are trying to take away what little we have and feast on our bones.

Shore up your relationships and assets, and mitigate the damage as much as you can. Stay awake, and be happy with those you love. Winter is about hope and enduring.

Haele