Aspies For Freedom

I like Christmas, I hate surprises though which means waiting for Christmas day to open presents. I like seeing my children's reaction to the presents and such, for me I don't really get into Christmas like sometimes I used to, it was just an anxiety-ridden day for the most part most years. I really don't like New Years because there is no point to it for me as it would suggest going to parties and drinking and I stopped drinking years ago and I don't have family to take care of the kids or friends in general where I live. I always felt anxious anytime anyone did get me to go to parties. I'd have to drink to try and calm myself.

For Christmas, I don't want any gifts (other than Model Magic, because I've liked it since kindergarten when I first discovered it). Most of the gifts I got in the past years came from past obsessions, so I want to avoid embarrassment. This year, I decided to make gifts for my family (yes, Bush Warps and stuff like that), watch the videos I watch around Christmas time (which include Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol, Frosty, The Little Drummer Boy, and some others), and do stuff like that.

Yes, I know I'm weird. Why else would I sign it with my most often used pen name?

:!: Mich :?:

I loved Christmas and New Years last year, as I was able to go home to my family in Germany. Which means having a nice peaceful Christmas with my Aspie brother, and on the next day a party with everybody (okay, that was stressful, and I had to leave to be by myself once), and going home for a week with another brother, who just let me be. He is the least pushy NT I know, totally respecting me for who I am. And we did fireworks on New Years Eve, and I liked that a lot, since I haven't  had that since I left Germany 26 years ago.

But normally I hate Christmas and New Years! I love the meaning of Christmas (Jesus Christ being born and all that), but Christmas all my kids, their spouses and the grandchildren are here, and it's crowded and noisy, and they expect me to cook and bake and serve things. Overload, depression and meltdowns are inevitable every year. And I can't get away, either. And on New Years Eve the kids want to have friends over and again, make lots of noise. And I feel like moving out! And if I don't look like I am having fun and being happy, they will criticize me for it, telling me I am spoiling things. It usually takes me about two months to recover and be myself again, once everyone is gone and things are back to normal.

I hope that it will be somewhat different this Christmas, because now they all know about the AS, and might actually be a little more understanding of me.

I like surprise presents, but if they are something totally different from what I was hoping for, or, even worse, they are something I have no use for at all, then I feel terribly disappointed. But I know it isn't acceptable to show that, so, having to pretend I like certain gifts isn't helping anything.

Uschi

See http://www.pointlessfun.com/warp/bush.html.

Then I just print my Bush Warps out, put paper behind them, and put Vaseline on them (so they look and feel "glossy").

:!: Mich :?:

I got something even better:

http://www.brainbashers.com/fool.asp

It's a Fool's Test, to see how much of a true fool you guys are.

:!: Mich :?:

I'm much more excited about winter-een-mass personally.

Zonkomas...

Salesmas -  a period devoted to the worship of Santa, God of Expensive Gifts, to whom costly sacrifices must be made.

Followers of the Santa Cult believe that it is a basic human right to receive costly gifts, and even to determine what others should give them. Failure to make sacrifices to Santa is a cause of shame, jealousy, and even hatred among Santa Cultists.

Stella

Does anyone feel strongly either way as to whether encouraging children to believe in Father Christmas is a good or a bad thing?

"It's good to believe in Santa, says psychiatrist"
http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/s...63,00.html

"Should we tell children the truth about Santa Claus?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_revie...81,00.html

Amy relates how:

this year a girl has been bullying her because she doesnt belive in Santa  

poor little sprite  

I note that the American Santa is a stern moral arbiter "who knows who's naughty and who's nice." This Santa seems a variant of the Cargo Cult deities of the South Seas who worship John Fromm, (the corrupted name of a now unknown US soldier of WW2). If they are "good" and erect bamboo poles to look like the wirless aerials that once drew American 'planes to their Islands, John Fromm will return with more Cargo. Other Cargo Cultists include the Duke of Edinburgh in their pantheon.  There's no accounting for taste.  :roll:

Stella

SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY
ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
Thayer Watkins


The Cargo Cults of the South Pacific

After World War II anthropologists discovered that an unusual religion had developed among the islanders of the South Pacific. It was oriented around the concept of cargo which the islanders perceived as the source of the wealth and power of the Eurpopeans and Americans. This religion, known as the Cargo Cult, held that if the proper ceremonies were performed shipments of riches would be sent from some heavenly place. It was all very logical to the islanders. The islanders worked hard but were poor whereas the Europeans and Americans did not work but instead wrote things down on paper and in due time a shipment of wonderful things would arrive.

The Cargo Cult members built replicas of airports and airplanes out of twigs and branches and made the sounds associated with airplanes to try to activate the shipment of cargo.

Although the existence of the Cargo Cult only became known after World War II the cult had developed long before when the Europeans first arrived in the area in ships. There were legends among the islanders of their distance ancestor-god having journeyed to the west and promised to someday return. The West was thought to be the land of the dead.

When the Portuguese and Dutch came into the area of the South Pacific they came from the west and they were pale skinned just as the islanders would have expected people coming from the land of the dead to be. The Europeans of the time also did not work but sent messages which led to the arrival of wonderful things as cargoes from ships.

At some point the notion developed among the Cargo Cult members that cargoes were being sent for them by their long dead ancestors but those cargoes were being intercepted by the Europeans. This idea was confirmed in the strongest possible way for one islander during World War II. His name was Bateri and he had learned to read and write some. One day he went into the office of military post and saw stacked up boxes labeled Batteries.

In addition to ceremonies at the replicas of airports in the jungle there was another interesting type of ceremony. Islanders would build a hut in the forest and the cultees would bring money and leave it in the hut in expectation that it would grow. Sometime replicas of briefcases would be used to hold the money. Unfortunately the money would often be stolen from these jungle banks leaving the islanders even poorer than they were before.

The Cargo Cult had a name for the diety in heaven. He was called John Fromm. It is not certain how this name arose but quite possibly it American soldiers identifying themselves by their place of origin: i.e., I am John from Indiana or I am John from Minneapolis. Some clever business began marketing products under the name John Fromm. For example, soap bars were labeled John Fromm Soap. When it was a choice between ordinary soap and God's soap it would no contest; it was clear which one would get you heavenly clean.

Because the Cargo Cult diverted people from productive and rewarding activities it was discouraged by the authorities. In New Guinea the Australian authorities enlisted the aid of the son of a famous warrior to discourage the Cargo Cult. He was effective and as a reward the Australians gave him a trip to Sydney. While in Sydney this man visited an anthropological museum. There he saw the sacred cult objects of his people on display. When the man returned to New Guinea he spread the word that the source of the Australians power was that they had stolen the sacred art of his people and built a temple to house it. A new cult developed around this idea.

Wasn't there a similar financial crisis to do with Dutch tulip bulbs?

I've never been able to understand anything more than the very most simple ideas about maths, finance, and economics. Its as if the information fell on a blind spot in the eye of my mind, so that I can never see it no matter how hard I try.     

There's a lot else I can't see too, but as I've never seen it I can't tell you what it is!  

Ho hum!  :roll:

Stella McQuack