happy holidays

merry christmas, happy hanukkah, and happy (late) winter solstice! and of course, happy holidays to everybody, no matter what you do or don't observe. i had a great holiday season despite the troubles of life, and i'm writing this from the home of some extended family we've visited for the christmas season. it's been a much more eventful holiday season than usual on account of a (mundane) ephiphany i've had. i was raised religiously, and i was raised celebrating christmas as an extension of that. i'm not religious anymore, but i still kept christmas because i like it. it occurred to me, though, that i'm not technically honor-bound to celebrate christmas and only christmas... in fact, i can do whatever i want forever.

so i've resolved to celebrate any and all holidays i'm invited to celebrate. i've celebrated hanukkah in the past with one of my friends, and i did it again this year with another - sort of. it was not during the actual date of hanukkah on account of the fact that no one would be in town at the same time to celebrate, and it was very very un-traditional. it was more hanukkah in name than in actual practice, but when your friend celebrates hanukkah and invites you to do the same, i imagine it counts for something. it was super fun. we watched eight crazy nights lol

i also celebrated the winter solstice with my friend arthur. many people observe it as a natural phenomenon, but for him, it is a holiday of religious significance, so i was very grateful for the invitation. he made us a big dinner and we all hung out and worked on other holiday presents. he told me a bit about how he personally observes it when he's celebrating alone - it was really fun to hear about. everyone's got their own ways of celebrating across different cultures and religions, but everyone i've met is united by this sense of love and joy for the festivities, for the importance, and for the people they're celebrating with. i think that's really lovely.

and, of course, christmas was today. this is my own holiday, like i've said before - i've celebrated it since i was a child, and i like it, so i've kept it in my life. i got some dungeon meshi manga to add to my collection (i've almost got the whole series) and the dokapon kingdom switch port, which i'm really pleased about. that game is a problem and a burden on society and it's a childhood favorite that i've missed playing. i'm glad it got re-released - it's one of those games that's become obscenely expensive secondhand. i played some games with my cousins and lost all of them really badly.

presents are fun, but christmas is also about appreciating the people in your life, for me. i sent out a bunch of christmas e-cards i drew, and spent a lot of the day lazing around and texting my partner. we've spent a lot of the day role-playing (not like that.) a high fantasy medieval drama with some of our characters. if my writing seems overly formal or purple-prosey, it's probably because that story is rubbing off on me.

christmas is coming to a close, and new year's day is right around the corner. i hope everyone has been having a good holiday season, and i hope 2025 will treat us better than 2024. (minecraft hurt noise) i'm begging.