Last-minute Christmas gift

If there’s still some last-minute Christmas gifts to sort out, my friends at Lazy Tulip might be able to help (if you’re in Sydney). Flowers, potted plants, chocolates, fruit baskets, wine, champagne and spirits and more, delivered on Christmas Eve or even on Christmas Day.

Weekly Poll: Merry Bloody Christmas!

Photograph of Stilgherrian for Christmas

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when a celebration of the birth of social radical Joshua bar Joseph is turned into a retail extravaganza.

How do you feel about Christmas? Personally, I get annoyed with the “compulsory cheerfulness” and the pointless mob behaviour. As the old saying goes, you can’t pick your families, and Christmas forces them together regardless — though reports that the suicide rate peaks at Christmas is an urban legend.

Yes, how do you feel about Christmas? Go to the website to vote, or add your comments here.

[poll id=”15″]

[Yes, that is me in the photograph. I made the antlers for the Snarky Platypus, who should be wearing them on Friday, and ’Pong took the photo using my Nokia N80.]

Choosing to support slavery

Newspaper quote:

This quote from Saturday’s Daily Telegraph (not online) really hit me:

They [toys being sold at Christmas in a superstore] are probably made under awful conditions, but what do you do? Accept it… or leave the kids with nothing?

Huh? Read the full article and think again, people. Is giving cheap trinkets to your children so important that you’ll choose to treat other human beings so appallingly?

I can forgive someone for doing this out of ignorance — after all, ignorance can be cured with knowledge. But to know that this is happening and still choose the trinkets! That’s disgusting. I think I’d prefer to walk away from your Omelas.

On the other hand, the very next day it was raining and I bought a $3.50 Chinese umbrella to stay dry. Am I any better?