I was going to write this long philosophical essay on the meaning of Christmas. Fortunately, I thought better of it. Christmas is that incomprehensible time of year when you have folks warbling "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" on the one hand and folks willing to throttle you for your parking space on the other. Suffice it to say, most of us have lived through some version of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The meaning of Christmas is unique to each of us, and I hope at least one person can remember that in all the hullabaloo. If one person remembers to treat another person as they themselves wish to be treated, then the world would be well on its way to being a better place.
Now that I have managed to circumvent my more philosophical urges, let me tell you about this rather special edition of Hope and Vaseline. For your reading pleasure, this issue contains responses to the Wish List survey. We also threw in reviews of the Marilyn Manson remix CD and of the new Jim Rose book, Freak Like Me (plus some fun little extras...be sure to check those bonus tracks!). We have all sorts of NIN/Xmas-related silliness, plus Katy McCormack's version of The Nutcracker. If you are just begging for something philosophical, well, check around...it's in there somewhere.
We thank you for reading us and hope that you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Lisa Livingston
procyon@icon.net