Happy Christmas 2009

Happy Christmas!

There is a debate of course about what to say with the corporate friendly choice being Happy Holidays. But this blog is not a business by any measure, and for me a holiday involves travel somewhere new, probably with boats or discovering the people and geography of a country.

This break involves family and presents, decorated trees and a turkey (*), carols and children, and all the trimmings of a traditional English Christmas of the middle classes in the home counties, which is of course all very pleasant.

The Christmas vs Holidays choice reminds me a bit of the integration vs multi-cultural debate, whether the (mostly) American approach of all celebrating the universal against the (mostly) European alternative of keeping separate cultures in a single country.

My feelings is that I'd be very happy to receive an invitation to enjoy a happy Hunakkah or Eid from those for whom those are special events, so I should celebrate the day that is important for me.

But what picture to show? In the end went for this slightly abstract crescent. It's the sun glinting off a lake large enough to be counted as a sea, but not on Earth.

For this is the Sea of Krakens on Titan, where one day robot explorers might sail the liquid methane seas.

And this is appropriate given the BBC's big pull out all the stops Christmas special this year is the first of a two parter end of an era last David Tennant as Doctor Who. Can't wait!

What ever you are doing over the next few days hope you have a great and very enjoyable time.

I'll be back posting sometime next week with my list of top blog entries of 2009

(*) I hope - for the last 3 years have always had something "different" which is really nice in its way, but it is the season of tradition