Tag: holidays

Merry Christmas from My family to yours!

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Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas from my family and me to you and yours! I hope your holiday is merry, bright, and blessed by the spirit and love within the season. Whatever you believe or however you celebrate, I hope you spend time enjoying the company of family and friends.

And maybe our holiday be warmed under the glow of Edison lights! Have a Merry “Steampunk” Christmas!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in my first fantasy novella from Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023 from Curious Corvid—the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Happy Christmahannukwanzadan! I think that covers everybody …

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ef04f779cd7f475526a590fe1593b047This may be a tired subject to some people, but I really need to vent. We are getting to the point that there is no holiday season, it’s just three months of continuous holidays! Every year, it gets to be earlier and earlier and its driving me crazy. There’s even a definition for it.

Christmahannukwanzadan is defined in the Urban Dictionary as “a combination of the main holiday terms; Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, and Ramadan. To be used in this age of correctness where people may be offended by wishing one person a seasonal greeting but leaving another person out, thereby offending their race or creed.” Really? There is now a definition for this condition and it’s getting worse each and every year.

I saw the first signs of Fall in JULY when our local Wal-Mart starting putting out Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer. Then came the Fall decorations and the Halloween candy and costumes in Costco in AUGUST. Now, this past weekend, right next to said Halloween costumes and decorations, there are Christmas trees and lights being put on display … in SEPTEMBER!

I know that, for some people, Christmas is a mindset that lasts all year long. I married one of those fanatics so I know what I’m talking about. I spend my year watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music on a regular basis, so I’m immune to these dastardly effects, and please, don’t think I’m a “Grinch” either.

Call me old fashion, but I remember a time when there were three distinct holidays. October was the start of Fall and then Halloween. The day after Halloween, you started planning for Thanksgiving, parades, and football, and then into Christmas. You didn’t decorate your house until mid-December. I mean, look at some of the classic movies like “A Christmas Story” or “Miracle on 34th Street” or “The Waltons Homecoming” and you’ll see what it was like.

To paraphrase a line from the classic “Miracle on 34th Street,” there’s a lot of “isms” out there and commercialism is the worst. I mean, just look at what we eat and drink. Everything is pumpkin flavored this time of year, from coffee and beer to donuts and pasta. It’s out of control! I’ve even already started seeing ads for the “Countdown to Christmas” on the Hallmark Channel.

132452_1693116215144_6008395_o-1Look, I love the holidays. I am a master of lights and displays this time of year and I love to show it off, but can we please concentrate on one holiday at a time so we can enjoy the fun of each and everyone. You lose some of that holiday spirit when you run things together like this, then you skip over the true meanings that they bring to all of us. So let’s try to enjoy this holiday season without having everything run together to where it ruins those special days. Happy Christmahannukwanzadan to everyone!

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse. The Outlander War can be previewed at Inkitt.

It’s Christmas time again, so let’s be politically incorrect for a change!

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My Christmas tree is already up!

Let me start out by saying that I try not to be political in my blogs. In today’s society, espousing one’s political views can cause you world’s of hurt from the “trolls” whose only joy is to write terrible things about you from one end of the net to the other. That being said, I tend to be very politically incorrect when it comes to Christmas.

What started out as a reason to party and let loose centuries ago, with pagan sensibilities mind you, has become a time of family, celebration, and religious worship. It’s also caused many people to get a stick up their ass if you even say “Merry Christmas” to them.

What is wrong with Merry Christmas? All you’re doing is wishing someone a glad tidings at this festive time of year. It’s not like you’re flipping them the bird, yet some people want to stop us from saying Merry Christmas “in case” it offends someone. Anything I might say could offend anyone at any given time. That’s why we have freedom of speech in this country. Saying Merry Christmas to a perfect stranger is no different than wishing them a good morning/afternoon/evening; but if you’re one of those people who gets offended by it, you’re what’s wrong with society today, not me.

We need to put the fun back into the holidays and take out the stress. I love movies like “The Christmas Story” and “The Walton’s Homecoming Special” because they speak of a simpler time when we took the time for family, community, church and holiday spirit. It was about Christian, Jew, Agnostic or atheist. It was about the joy of Christmas.

I will admit, I do hate it how the holidays are slammed one into the other. The day after Halloween, every store is already decorated for Christmas. You don’t even get a chance to breathe. I saw a Christmas commercial for Best Buy on Halloween night. It was ridiculous.

I learned an interesting tidbit this year. President Franklin D. Roosevelt actually wanted Thanksgiving to fall the 3rd Thursday in November, instead of the 4th, to give retailers the extra week of holiday shopping. It’s strange how that isn’t necessary today because we’re shopping for Christmas from 1 November to 24 December with online shopping and aggressive retailers. Even “Black Friday” isn’t a thing anymore because some stores open on Thanksgiving night.

I understand this better than most because I live with a wonderful woman who eats, lives and breathes Christmas 24/7, 365 days a year. My lovely wife, Georgiene, listens to Christmas music, watches Christmas movies and keeps that joy of Christmas alive all year round. Though I sometimes find it annoying in the middle of Summer, it has given me a better appreciation for the holiday.

So, as we march into the last 25 days of Christmas, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza! And for the rest of you trolls out there, Bah Humbug!