Gunner wrote:


Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best
wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible,
low-stress, nonaddictive, gender-neutral celebration of the
winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable
traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or the
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious
or secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their
choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

May you have a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and
medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the
generally accepted calendar year 2005, but not without due
respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose
contributions to society have helped make the world great, and
without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability,
religious faith, political belief, choice of computer platform,
or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting you are accepting these terms. This
greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely
transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It
implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of
the wishes for herself or himself or others, is void where
prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of
the wisher. This wish is under warranty to perform as expected
within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one
year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and the warranty is limited to
replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole
discretion of the wisher.

Winter solstice? WINTER solstice? You insensitive clod! What about
all the aussies and kiwis? And for that matter those guys on the
international space station, who experience an entirely different solar
calender?

Such political insensitivity is very unbecoming you know. You might as
well have said "Merry Christmas" without being much more in the wrong!

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com