It is a good time when telling your children that Santa Clause does not exist. To also mention that God does not exist.

TOUCHING NEW YEAR’s CAROL

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson Britain’s Poet Laureate (1850-1892) wrote more than "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1854).

Prolific Tennyson also wrote an earlier poem "Ring Out, Wild Bells" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_Out,_Wild_Bells (published 1850). Now days it rings out the old year and rings in the new, on New Year's Eve.

The words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_Out,_Wild_Bells#The_poem have deep meaning.

Also bringing the poem to life is a sad and moving musical version by Canadian singer Alana Levandoski http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alana_Levandoski.

Alana sings it here http://youtu.be/dbnsIydaYYg .

The sad tone has special poignancy for a year of bushfires here and COVID everywhere.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

First Verse/Chorus

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

First Verse/Chorus

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

First Verse/Chorus
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Have a much happier 2021 everyone.

Pete

Dear Atheist,

Indeed, God does not exist.

Existence is within God, not God within existence.
Had God existed, then He would neither be worthy of worship, nor of being called 'God', for whatever exists is limited.

Well childish notions have their time and place, they serve some human need, even Santa, but now is a time to grow up and shake that childish notion as if God was part of His own creation.

Yuyutsu,

Are you still a citizen of Taiwain?