Merry Christmas!

For the longest time, Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Apart from the holiday traditions, it just seemed that most people were a little bit happier than they might normally be. While the trend continues to this day, I have to shake my head at the seeming attempts to slowly rid ourselves of Christmas.

I don't know how many times I've read stories like these in the papers. In short, I think the whole mentality is stupid. In our quest to appear inclusive and welcoming, vocal 'crusaders' have made it their responsibility to ensure that we don't even mention the true nature of our holidays. Oh sure, its fine for you to bring whatever traditions you want to our country. They propose we sweeten the deal and avoid the risk of hurting anyone's feelings by getting rid of our own.

While I'm all for being a tolerant nation and I am proud to belong to a country that is by and large a very welcoming one, what gives anyone the right to dictate the very words I say as a means of a holiday greeting? If you are too thin-skinned to handle a simple 'Merry Christmas' thrown your way from a sincere well-wisher, then you need to suck it up and move past your tattle-tale response. I don't throw a hissy-fit if someone wishes me a 'Happy Hanukkah' (spelling?). Instead I recognize that this is what it is: a way to share a little bit of happiness with someone else regardless of their creed or religion.

Think for a second about the outrage we would hear if Christians started making the same kind of noise about other celebrations as they are often afforded. There is no way in the world they would get away with that sort of campaign. What is it then that makes Christmas such a vulnerable target? What is it that makes it okay to target this particular holiday and not others?

So to all you whiners who despise the diminishing displays of holiday cheer, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you're happy.

6 years later...

Today is the final day of my student teaching at McNally High School in Edmonton. Not only does this mark the end of my practicum, but it signifies the completion of my degree in Education. I can honestly say that there have been few events in my life that I have looked forward to as much as this one.

With school behind me, I'm eager to enjoy a relaxing Christmas break with family and friends throughout the province. No deadlines to worry about, and certainly no anticipation of yet another semester on campus.

This is a new phase for my family and all of us are eager to get started and see how it plays out.

The Sky is Falling!!

I can not for the life of me understand how this kind of arrangement is a problem.

"Canada wants the international community to reach a deal by 2009 so that it can be implemented by the time Kyoto expires.

However, Canada is refusing to apply its own binding targets until the big emitters such as the U.S., China and India do so first. "

If Climate Change is such a huge problem that requires this immediate response, why is it such a bad thing to demand that everyone contribute to the solution? If we are really dealing with a global catastrophe, why would we in our right minds allow these kinds of emissions to continue?

We're constantly bombarded with the idea that we're killing our planet, and ourselves, faster than we realize. A problem on this kind of scale would require a global response, period. What's with the wiggle room?

I, for one, am glad to have a government in power that isn't going to sign off on the latest in a series of feel-good-while-doing-nothing accords. It's refreshing to hear the recognition that everyone, and not just the wealthy nations of the world, do its part. No one is arguing that anyone needs to do more than their fair share. But demanding drastic action from one party, while excusing inaction in other more problematic areas of the world, is about one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in my life. That is, next to the whole idea of catastrophic man-made climate change.