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Dear <<First Name>>,

It is that time of year and that infernal music is playing in all the stores. I usually don't mind hearing Jingle Bells, or the ones about the Snow man, but Silent Night and Jesus ones, please stop the music!

Look around, I just went to Rona's today and all the Christmas decorations are made in China and are from sort of Disney character, or Coca Cola Santa. I think Christmas is more about getting together nowadays and just buying stuff.

So we as atheists need to celebrate too, or at least be ourselves gleefully for one night. Thankfully some TV show has provided us with Festivus for the Restivus. We can air our grievances, pass on useless stuff, and drink and be merry. Plus, we can stretch our brain with some Trivia.... it is a real KASHA event!
See below for more information.

KASHA just started our new year and we invite you to join us as member, 2023 is the year we stir up some trouble.

If you are going to a family gathering and are afaid that you might have to lead a prayer to a non-existent entity, read below for some ideas on giving a secular gratitude instead.

Thinking with you,
Nina

think@askuskelowna.ca
KASHA - Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics & Humanists Association
Inquire with us at askuskelowna.ca
You can now become a member via our secure website payment system HERE

Come join us in the 'Festivus for the Restivus' celebration at 1:00 pm on Sunday, December 18!

Have a drink and/or lunch with your fellow KASHA members and guests, and take part in some Festivus activities!

#### RSVP here: https://askuskelowna.ca/festivus/

The Festivus pole will soon be dug out of the garage and we’ll have it set up for some re-gifting.
If you wish to take part in that, wrap up that old vase or miniature wrench set that you never use and drop it off at the pole…and go home with an equally useless gift!
We’ll also have several 'open mic' opportunities. You can air your grievances about 2022 and, if you’ve been so lucky, maybe you have a wonderful Festivus miracle that you would like to share.
Brush up on your Festivus knowledge. We will be having a Festivus Trivia Contest, along with all of the other Festivus fun. And there will be prizes; a Festivus pole will not be one of them!
The Creekside Pub provides the meeting room for free. We ask that you purchase a beverage or food while attending our gatherings.

Creekside Pub - Creekside Pub & Grill-LRS
3929 Lakeshore Rd · Kelowna, BC

If your Humanist side is tugging at you at the end of the year, check out our various secular charity pages on the KASHA website:

Local Charities1 and Local Charities 2, National and International Charities, Environmental Charities

Also, consider donating to BC Humanists or join them as a member. They do excellent work on behalf of all Atheists and Secular Humanists. They are a charitable organization and you will get a tax receipt if you donate to them.

Do you ever find yourself in an awkward position where a spiritual grace is being said and you are conflicted about whether you should bow your head, clasp your hands, and close your eyes...out of 'respect' or a feeling of some sort of obligation?
Holiday season means more family dinners and company work parties... what do you do?

Well, here are a couple of suggestions to make those conflicted moments bearable.

You could bow your head, clasp your hands and close your eyes and think about how much life would be easier if people would thank real people instead of those make believe spirits.
You could keep your head raised, open your eyes and look for other non-believers in the midst.
You can also stand up and offer a secular gratitude, it could be that no one knows that these exist and would be pleasantly surprised and truly grateful when they hear you say one.
For secular gratitude ideas go HERE

KASHA COVID Policy:
KASHA follows the COVID guidelines laid out by the BC health authorities and therefore will not require vaccination to attend events and activities after 7 April 2022. However, given that many KASHA members are at a higher risk than the general population, it is preferred that attendees be fully vaccinated against COVID 19.

Please visit Janice Selbie's helpful sites:

WEBSITE www.divorcing-religion.com For 1:1 religious recovery consulting and counselling, as well as the online Divorcing Religion Workshop

PODCAST https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhyTXTIM9kdTJ1jW-Ckb5g Called Divorcing Religion, it is also available on all audio platforms

CONFERENCE ON RELIGIOUS TRAUMA (CORT) www.religioustraumaconference.org I am also posting old CORT videos on the YT channel above

Book List

On our website, we've added a list of books; if you have anything you'd like to add to the list, feel free to email us at think@askuskelowna.ca I've slowly been working my way through the fascinating book "Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling" by James E. Alcock. The book is crammed with a wide range of topics: the inaccuracy of memories; the meanings of dreams (and no, not the sort of "meaning" like, if a dog bites you, it means that you're "struggling with someone's disloyalty towards you"...and if he bites you on the left hand, it means something different than if it's the right hand!); cognitive biases; alternative medicine; magic and superstition; and the origins, social aspects, and emotions that play a big role in religion.

Webinars & Town Halls on the KASHA website

Thanks to Darrel, we now have a page of interesting webinars and town hall meetings from BC Humanists, Center for Inquiry Canada, and Amnesty International that you can watch.

If you just can't watch another Netflix show or commercial TV, tune in here to see issues that are relevant to you. KASHA WEBINAR PAGE

You can also catch up on some of our previous newsletters HERE.

Thanks, Darrel, for all your work!

We are officially an affliate local group member with BC Humanists. We receive support to help connect with humanists and atheists in our area. We become part of a larger network of non-religious people across the province by joining with other groups.

The British Columbia Humanist Association has been providing a community and voice for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and the non-religious of Metro Vancouver and British Columbia since 1982. They support the growth of Humanist communities across BC, provide Humanist ceremonies, and campaign for progressive and secular values.

Please consider joining the BCHA if you support our combined efforts.

KASHA needs volunteers:

Forum Speakers: We are looking for volunteers to be speakers/facilitators. If you are interested in presenting, we have a set of criteria and an approval process. We want to make sure that all the topics will be of interest to our members. So no, we won't be approving of how astrology effects your mood.

You can download the forum criteria here.

Ideas: If you are a member and you have an idea for a speaker, are interested in starting another cafe meet-up in your area, like to write about KASHA topics, and/or want to protest something... let us know.

KASHA Board Meetings

If you are an official paid member and would like to read our minutes or attend a meeting, please let me know.
The dates of the meetings are on the events calendar. We are trying to meet once a month.
Warning: Our minutes are rather cryptic, but you will probably understand the main clinchers. Any warm new heartbeats detected at the meeting might also be given tasks. But we are not discouraging our members from attending; in fact, we would love it if you could come.

Please Go To our Events Calendar for up to date information on events.
KASHA - Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics & Humanists Association
Inquire with us at askuskelowna.ca
Join our FACEBOOK page. Join the KASHA MEET-UP group
Become a member HERE