Someone asked me at work the other day what I'd be doing for "new years." To press the point of my absolute rejection of this pagan custom, I said: "a glass of warm milk and an early night." She is one of those kindly, innocent types who tries to see the best in everyone and perhaps thinks, contrary to what she might say, that her worldview is the best for everyone. So I could tell that she had become frustrated by this, whereupon she asked whether I actually celebrated anything or went out anywhere. Quentin Crisp would have said wryly: "the answer is no!" I stupidly tried to explain about the Julian Kalendar; about how we tend to count the seasons from Spring rather than the middle of Winter; how December is the tenth month, and so on. But it was no use. She just said, after a pause: "oh...well, everyone's different!"
I have nothing really profound to add to this story, which is not very different from any other such encounter, other than to observe that sometimes it's very hard being the outsider.
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." John 15:19.
People going on about Epiphany today on the 9th day of Christmass and people wishing me happy new year! It's hellish as i celebrate the former in 3 days and the latter in about 80!
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