I don't even know if it's possible to properly summarize what this year has been, what it's done to so many. The way it seems to have made some conscious choice to polarize us and highlight our differences so persistently, so ruthlessly, it's just left so many people angry and afraid and lonely. Sure, we got a nice little light at the end of this tunnel in November, but there's a lot of tunnel left to go, and no reason to believe we'll be at the end of it just because the numbers of Anno Dominis goes up by one.
Which gives us all the more reason to remember that today is Declaration Day! A refresher is written out below for those of you read it, and I hope everyone who takes part does so from a place of kindness. Said refresher begins henceforth:
It is hereby proposed that, instead of trying to reclaim an existing holiday, most of which have been either destroyed by consumerism and greed or ruined by more accurate accounts of history, we make up a new one, which takes place on the Twelfth of December. This day shall be known as Declaration Day, and shall work thusly:
There are no gifts, no big meals, no dying plants to decorate or terrible songs to sing. There is no affiliated religion or deity to worship (though I'd be willing to listen to some prayers, as long as they are juicy), and there are no special outfits. All you must do to participate is tell one, just one, person you care about a real, honest thing. No sugar coating either; just plain simple truth.And it can't be something easy, like telling a significant other "I love you", or telling a best friend they are really important to you. Tell them something you wouldn't normally tell them.
Now, just a couple of rules, which I get to make, because I invented the holiday (hence the earlier implication that prayers be sent to me.)
1) This truth may not be conveyed via any medium that does not allow for immediate response. The point of this holiday is accurate, honest, real communication, and I have learned over the years that removing the possibility of response often instills crudity and meanness. So in order to maintain genuine sincerity and vulnerability, face to face is best (except not this year.) An actual phone call or video chat is permitted if circumstances require it. Text communication is henceforth deemed acceptable, however all messages must be re-read twice and closely scrutinized for potential misunderstanding.
2) Any person to whom a truth is delivered is automatically allowed to dispense a truth in return. So, if your decision is to finally tell that coworker everyone knows about their Filet-O-Fish addiction, they will be allowed to tell you that everyone knows you eat your toenail clippings, provided both statements are true. This provision is in place not to keep one from expressing an honest opinion, but only to maintain balance. No one wants some dummy just walking around telling people what's wrong with them. Also, bear in mind, if you decide to only convey the, let's say, unkind thoughts in your head, people are going to notice, and eventually you'll end up with less people in your life to complain about than you might want, with only your misery for company.
So try not to be a jerk about it. Just take a little brain power away from who on your gift list would like that neat-o tea kettle (everyone who wants one has one already), try not to think about what to wear to the office holiday party (skip it. Just skip it; who even cares?) and let your mind come up with something you can tell someone that really, really matters. Anything, for anyone, as long as it's not a commercial for diamonds or toys.
Good luck with it, and as the creator of Declaration Day, I shall as ever kick things off with something for all of you:
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