[jheii]

My mother passed away last October and my father works in an area of Baghdad known as "The Triangle of Death," so the meaning of Christmas has changed a bit for me these past two years. I don't consider myself a Christian, so Christmas is more of a family tradition in my eyes than a celebration of something specific, and without much of a family the holiday has lost a lot of its meaning. That said, I'm still not a "Grinch." I enjoy buying people presents, if for no other reason than to know that my money is going toward something that isn't going to intoxicate me. I like that a lot of my friends are a little nicer and a little more forgiving of myself and others this time of year. I like seeing pointsettias in shop windows and wreaths and red ribbons hanging from 300 year old oak trees in my town. I like seeing the smile on children's faces when Santa "Father Christmas" Clause waves and tosses them a wink from the steps of the board of education building. I like trying to guess who's going to tell me "Merry Christmas" and who's going to settle for "Happy Holidays." It's nice...