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Happy New Year (almost)

Posted once more to remind everyone that we *really* need to get this thing off the ground: "Better idea: let's make New Year's Eve the big day/night for exchanging gifts. Before you dismiss this idea out of hand, consider several factors: (1) it is accepted as a "holiday" by more people (or at least acknowledged, via the changing of the calendar) than christmas, hannukah, kwanzaa, or any other December holidays (2) everybody is festive and cheerful, with no unearned "guilt" over the "secret shame" of actually feeling GOOD about receiving gifts (3) none of that lying-to-kids-crap about Santa Claus (which I did for a few years with my kids, but never felt good about it) (4) what better way to start the new year than by surprising each other with gifts?
IMPLEMENTATION: Easy. You can still use a tree (symbol of new growth, life, etc) as the centerpiece of your holiday decorating, but instead of red & green, I think that white & blue seem to be better suited for a New Year holiday. Heck, you can even put up a Festivus pole (with the requisite "feats of strength" and "airing of grievances," natch). Of course, everyone is free to decorate (or not) as they see fit, but a move away from traditional green-n-red would help spur the nascent movement. The kicker, of course, is that instead of opening presents on xmas morning, you open them at midnight on New Year's Eve --what a great way to start the new year! And as I mentioned -- instead of worrying about whether your intended receipients celebrate xmas, hannukah, kwanzaa, or some other holiday (and if they do, does it mean the same to them as it does to you?), you can purchase, give, and receive gifts comfortable in the knowledge that everyone -- with very, very few exceptions in America, anyway -- celebrates the New Year at the same time, on the same day, for the same reason: to ring in a new year with good cheer & goodwill."

Posted at December 27, 2002 01:24 PM