John M. Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #144: Holiday Greetings

It's a busy time of year, so I thought I make this an easy Weekend Assignment for you: Weekend Assignment #144: Make a holiday greeting for your friends here on AOL Journals and online. You were going to do that anyway, I bet, but now it'll fulfill your Weekend Assignment, too. See? Told you it would be easy. Extra Credit: Uh, name your favorite of Santa's reindeer.

A Joyous Noël To All!

And thus we begin the response to this “gross”¹ entry to the Weekend Assignment. Noël, according to the entry in the Wickipedia for “The First Nowell” is traditionally associated with the Nativity, that is, the birth of Jesu Cristo. However, some entymologists believe it is an older reference “from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.” So, a greeting of “Have A Joyous New Light” isn't out of the question at this time of year as the light begins to return to the Northern Hemisphere, signalling a rebirth of the land, the vegetation and, dare I say it, the human spirit. For long before the psychiatric community recognized Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), humankind has referred to “winter of our discontent,” “darkness, drab and dreary,” “the dark tea time of the soul” when discussing Autumn and the descent into Winter.

Regardless, I do wish all of you, my gentle readers (except Paul, only because he's a little violent – but I do include him in the general class of readers, heh) a Very Merry ... Christmas, Channukah, Noël, Yule, Solstice, Kwaanzah and/or Festivus (have I forgotten anyone?) and a Happy New Year.

John, I extend my warmest wishes for continued success to you in 2007. Do take care of Krissy and Athena, they truly are your “reason for the season.”

wil

P.S. My favorite reindeer is that johnny-come-lately entry in the Reindeer Pantheon -- “Rudy Randawl”! He's the kind of reindeer your mother warned you about. A blues musician by trade, Rudy's a hard-drinking, four-hooved dirty fighter, a doe-chaser and (whispering) it's rumored he's into fawns!

You can learn all about Rudy right here at the Looney Bin, watching their animated production of “Take My Antlers, Please!” and then the end of the story, "Rebel Without A Claus" You'll need to have Shockwave! installed and a good, fast connection (or a sleighload of patience). In case you didn't figure it out, this is for the amusement of folks who aren't dripping wet behind the ears. Sex, drugs and the Does don't wear bells around their necks, if'n you get my drift...

¹ In this case, "gross" in a numerical sense, ie. a dozen dozen, or 144. Get it?