Pharyngula::The holiday is upon us!

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Thursday, December 01, 2005

The holiday is upon us!

PZ Myers • 27 Comments (last page)

I am caught completely off-guard: in my mail today I received some Cephalopodmas gifts from Bayesian Bouffant. There are some books (Secret Sea by White, and The Octopus by Norris), and a DVD of the legendary Calamari Wrestler. I didn't even know it was Cephalopodmas! I still don't know what day it's supposed to be! (In fact, google has never heard of "Cephalopodmas", although "Squidmas" seems to be popular.)

Since this is a holiday that should exist, I hereby declare 22 December to be Cephalopodmas. Everyone should have a nice seafood dinner, exchange gifts with a molluscan theme, and play tentacle games with your loved one. I'll plan on sitting down with the whole family to watch The Calamari Wrestler ^{(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll)} together.

Thanks, BB!

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Comments:

#51497: Dr. Free-Ride — 12/01 at 01:31 PM
Everyone should have a nice seafood dinner, exchange gifts with a molluscan theme, and play tentacle games with your loved one.

I assume the herbivores celebrating Cephalopodmas will be allowed to nibble seaweed.

Will there be Cephalopodmas carols (sea shanties?) to sing during the festivities?

#51498: — 12/01 at 01:36 PM
I'll buy my mother live squid and leave them scattered throughout the house - like an Easter egg hunt! Oh, think of the joyous look on her precious little face as she discovers each squid...

Should I paint them individually, or just leave them as-is? Maybe buy some plastic squid and fill them with candy or caviar?

#51499: fearless leader — 12/01 at 01:39 PM
I'm all over it, especially the tentacle games idea, squares with the corporate mission.

#51508: — 12/01 at 01:57 PM
I'm pleased to hear the old traditions are coming back.

When I was in high school one of my teachers started the 'Save the Turkey' foundation and gave presentations for Squid meals for Thanksgiving.

For a while I thought he was strange, but now I see he was just ahead of the curve.

I never have figured out the Black-Powder gun demonstrations shooting wax balls at the school walls, however. Maybe there is a mixture of genius and strange -- I guess I'll have to ask PZ.

#51515: — 12/01 at 02:32 PM
You're welcome.

The stickers were off-theme but I'm surprised you didn't mention them.

BTW, a paper will come out in Science tomorrow revealing that Archaeopteryx had feet like a theropod.

I've got to go write some Cephalopodmas carols now, there's only 21 days left.

#51516: HP — 12/01 at 02:42 PM
One of my favorite childhood memories is how we'd all gather around the TV on Squidmas Eve for the annual broadcast of Rudolph the Bioluminescent Nautilus:

Then one turbid Squidmas Eve,
C. Santateuthis came to say,
"Rudolph, with your photophores so bright,
Won't you guide my bathysphere tonight?"

We never questioned at the time why that jolly old squid actually needed a bathysphere.

#51526: — 12/01 at 03:17 PM
From a discussion of squid carols on LJ:

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlesquids"

God rest ye merry gentlesquids
Let nothing you dismay
Not pinnipeds nor great sperm whales
That do upon you prey

and "I Am A Squid" (Joy To the World)

I am a squid, a happy squid,
A happy, wiggly squid!
Let every cephalapod
Extend its tentacles
And sucker on to something
And sucker on to something
And sucker, sucker onto something

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ursulav/397655.html?thread=10099031#t10099031
http://www.livejournal.com/users/pixel39/284648.html

#51539: Alon Levy — 12/01 at 03:44 PM
What do I do on Cephalopodmas if I just don't eat seafood?

#51567: — 12/01 at 05:23 PM
I think a Cephalopodmas holiday would be great. Unfortunately I have a biochemistry final that day. We need to work on getting it declared a University holiday.

#51572: — 12/01 at 05:44 PM
Hey, 12/22 happens to be my birthday...

Oh well, it beats sharing it in the same week as a certain famous historical figure

#51591: — 12/01 at 08:49 PM
ooh, tentacle games! can hardly wait!

#51595: — 12/01 at 08:56 PM
Hey, it is the anniversary of my birth, too! I was considering going to Outback for steak, but I can always add an appetizer of calamari to my favorite coconut shrimp. Could go for sushi instead, but we do that at least twice a month, so it's not so much of a special treat.

#51596: Jonathan Badger — 12/01 at 08:59 PM
Oh open sea
The squid are swiftly swimming
It is the night of the dear blogger's 'mas
Long lay the world in lack of mollusc feasting
Til Cephalopodmas appear'd and showed its worth
A thrill of squid the weary world rejoices
For yonder lies a plate of fried calamar'

#51603: — 12/01 at 09:32 PM
Might I suggest Ween's song (and album) "The Mollusk" as appropriate music for this holiday?

#51664: — 12/02 at 09:14 AM

What do I do on Cephalopodmas if I just don't eat seafood?

You go downstairs and recite "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn..."

#51666: — 12/02 at 09:24 AM
By the way, am I the only one to think we're collectively nuts and should go see a shrink first thing Monday?

#51669: — 12/02 at 09:31 AM
I think I'll just stick with good ol' traditional Decemberween.

o/~ Decemberween, Decemberween, you're fifty-five days after Halloween... o/~

#51677: Keith Douglas — 12/02 at 10:09 AM
Nothing will stop you from eating calamari for Decemberween, BronzeDog ...

#51699: Jonathan Badger — 12/02 at 11:40 AM
"Nothing will stop you from eating calamari for Decemberween"

Perhaps, but the traditional Decemberween foods are gravied yams, stuffinged ham, and roast bunny. But I do recall a squid briefly appearing in Strong Bad's Decemberween pagent, so there may be some Cephalopodmas/Decemberween crossover.

Trackback: Whichmas? Thatmas! Tracked on: Philosophical Fortnights (66.151.149.25) at 2005 12 02 12:08:32
Bill OReilly is off on his annual why does KMart hate Christmas rant (see Why does Lou Dobbs hate Christmas? for a note on last years edition). I think hes right, of course. It is offensive to have your holiday bundled up with a bunch of pseudo-holidays into

#51708: Alon Levy — 12/02 at 12:11 PM
I think we're collectively nuts, but there's no way I'm telling a shrink about it. I'd like to keep my insanity private, thank you very much.

#51719: — 12/02 at 12:56 PM
Well, insight is the first step to treatment

And your welcome.

Trackback: The War on Christmas Tracked on: More Evolution Theories (68.164.168.6) at 2005 12 02 13:48:02
The War on Christmas has begun in earnest this season. It turns out that this war has a long history. In fact, it goes back to 3000BC

#51793: — 12/02 at 08:44 PM
Cthulhu Carols: http://www.cthulhulives.org/Solstice/

#51917: — 12/04 at 10:23 AM
Commercially available squid music:

Dr. Squid by Dr. Squid

Institute of Dubology Featuring Duffhead, DJ Squid
by Institute of Dubology

Squid Row Daze by Gorilla

Eats Parliament by Techno Squid

Squid Virtual's Petting Zoo by Squid Virtual

Billy the Squid by Tom Chapin

The Squid and the Whale (movie soundtrack)

Giant Squid is apparently still working on their debut album.

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Thursday, December 01, 2005

The holiday is upon us!

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