venite adoremus

[raven]

I was going to write - in fact, had already written - that at this moment, I hate Christmas more than I have ever hated it. But then I saw a really lovely, sweet Christmas post from ka_crow, and felt very bad about being such an awful Scrooge. In fact, let me just say what I was going to say, for those people lucky enough to have known me less than a year and thus have not been subjected to this post yet: I do not hate Christmas because I have some sort of aversion to peace and goodwill, beautifully decorated foliage, pretty things gift-wrapped and gorgeous Latin choral music. I like all of these things a lot. People who have access to all of these and still hate Christmas need their heads examining. But I am not British. (I'm not Christian, either, but that doesn't stop the vast majority of people.) Yes, technically, I am, but my extended family is many thousands of miles away and my immediate family is small and works nights and really doesn't care much about Christmas. I do, because I'm the one who spends my time around the native British, who make me care about it because it is, let's face it, the only topic of conversation from mid-November onwards.

I am a Brahmin Hindu, which technically means I should get to take part in a vast amount of hugely colourful and joyful festivals. But er, I live in a small village in the north of England with the ethnic diversity of an agar plate. And they're not big on Hindu festivals here, for understandable reasons, so the net result is an entire lack of yearly celebration in my life. And I am very, very bitter about it.

There. That's over for another year.

Actually, this year hasn't been that bad, so far. For once, it's Christmas Eve and there is actual food in the house - roasted veg, chicken, mince pies and cream. (Most years we tend to have nothing but off milk and boiled rice.) And I have made one of my sandwiches of greatness. And the last few days have been really rather good. I spent a lot of time gossiping with eternalwings and shipperkitten, and Friday was the Day of YAY with hathy_col and tau_sigma, who'd come up for the day to visit Colleen and me. We actually had a lot of fun, wandering around Liverpool in the freezing cold. We had a ridiculously unhealthy breakfast, wandered through the 1988 time warp at the Albert Dock and talked about squid and indeed cephalopods in general.

We also talked a lot about the Super Lamb Banana, but alas, we did not actually see it. This is, naturally, a tragedy. I haven't seen the thing for a while. Colleen and I got to wondering if'd been tipped into the Atlantic without anyone noticing. The jury is still out on that one.

Anyway. I am babbling. While I was eating the sandwich, I was looking through some old entries looking for something, and realised something interesting. For the last few years, I have, quite by accident, always posted fics in the period around Christmas and New Year. I think I'd like to do that again, so if anyone has Christmassy prompts to drop my way, that'd be cool. I won't say, as I'd like to, that everyone give me a prompt and I'll try to write them all, because I don't have the time right now - I'll be out of the country for a bit from December 29th - but I'd like to write something. I really have been rubbish about Christmas this year. So many people have thought of me and given me cards and gifts, and I feel awful because I more or less am ignoring the holiday. (That said, Pedar and I have discovered a fibre optic Christmas tree in a box on top of a wardrobe. I foresee French farce in my future.)

Okay, that's it. I have found a version online of Adeste Fideles, which is much more tuneful than the Balliol Nepotists version but lacks some of the joie de vivre. Never mind. It will do. I won't say merry Christmas just yet, because I will be here tomorrow, but you know. Have a nice evening and all of that.

Comments

[chiasmata]

I bet the online version of Adeste Fideles doesn't feature a bungled attempt at the descant, now, does it??

Oxford's not the same without you lot. Not that I'm there at the mo, but you know. I just thought I'd say. :)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Heee. That bungled attempt was curiously melodic, if I remember rightly, but I allow fully the possibility that my memory of the event is red-shifted through several glasses of wine.

Ah, I miss you too. *g* I miss Oxford life in general.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Have a great evening, you.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*big squishy things*

[tau_sigma]

The Super Lamb Banana is so much win! *g* I love this quotation from the Wiki page:
"The statue, painted in bright yellow gloss paint, has to be seen up close to fully appreciate its yellow-ness, banana-ness and lamb-ness."
And oh, the entire day was so much fun. :) Thank you.

so the net result is an entire lack of yearly celebration in my life - that does, rather, suck for you. *offers hugs as small consolation*

I would love to have prompts to drop your way, but sadly I am devoid of ideas. Go on, surprise me.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, dear. It was so nice to actually meet you, although it never really registered that I hadn't met you before. We had a good, if somewhat loopy day, right?

There shall be a ficlet of surprise coming your way, fret ye not. :)

[amchau.livejournal.com]

As I have just been moaning to Alex about how bitter I am that my perfectly good pagan festival of Yule has been lost to Christians and Capitalists, I realise that my sending you a 'happy christmas' text was deeply ironic, really. I wish I could think of a suitable replacement. Is there anything you'd like by text? (Up until midnight, it's free for me, so you can ask for fic or whatever.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

And thank you for all the fic you did send. :) Much appreciated.

[amchau.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it! (Have you saved it? I deleted all my sent messages because my phone's memory was getting full, and then went, "damn! I had semi-fic bits there!")

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

Hey, you have a lovely evening, too. I have a thing for you that yo'ill be getting in January, I guess as sort of a holiday+birthday present, but of course I can't send it to you now--so, er, just know that across the Atlantic there is a gift with your name on it. Not wrapped or anything (actually NONE of my presents are wrapped yet, ahhhhhhh), but ready and waiting. *loves*

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

Uh, yo'ill = you'll. I don't even KNOW what that was. Family is rotting my brain. But in the good way.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*loves you right back* Thank you, so much. Your Essay Crisis Survival Kit is still sitting on my desk - I'll send it off in termtime. Hope you had a lovely Christmas. *g*

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

Aw m'love, we will have to ensure especially colourful birthday celebrations for you this year. And possibly an extra festival dumped elsewhere in the year for your benefit, though given that the inside of my head also has the ethnic diversity of an agar plate I cannot promise any resemblence to Hindu(/Hindi? Can it be an adjective like that? OMG SEE WHAT I MEAN) ones. *heart*

Your college choir is called the Nepotists?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*hearts* Thank you, dear. I'm hoping everyone in the world will come to my birthday party and it will be of JOY.

Hinduism = religion.
Hindu (noun and adjective) = practioner of said religion; of or pertaining to it.
Hindi = language, unrelated to either of the above.

Nepotists is the name given to the night of mulled wine, carol singing and debauchery at the end of Michaelmas. Another thing that is of JOY.

Hope you're having a nice Christmas, dear. :)