It’s December! It’s cold, and in my part of the U.S., we’ve had some of the grossest winter weather we’ve seen in years (barring last year’s tremendous snowstorm). There are lights on houses, on trees, and in the windows.  There are way too many people at retail outlets. It’s the holiday season!

No matter what your beliefs, almost everyone can find something to celebrate in this chilly* month – even if it’s just the end of finals and the start of winter break! To fill some of the long dark hours, we’re bringing you a giant issue of the eMpirical. We’ve got thoughts on holidays, gift ideas, Student Voice interviews, and much more – so find something hot and tasty to drink and settle in for a great read!

*For those reading this from the southern hemisphere, enjoy that wonderful summer weather and know that the rest of us are fairly green with envy.

Almost every religion has a holiday coming up, to be celebrated with tradition and family and friends. You can feel the holiday spirit in the air - but therein lies a bit of a dilemma for those of us who don’t believe in a religion. All around us are celebrations in the making – all of them centered around beliefs that we don’t share. What’s a nonbeliever to do?

You’ve got Aunt Myrtle’s sweater and a toy truck for the baby nephew. But what sort of gifts do you get for the atheist in your life? We bring you a few great ideas to get you started.

The Secular Student Alliance is looking for dedicated leaders who would like to run for positions on the SSA's Board of Directors! The SSA is a democratic organization and all SSA members are eligible to run for a position on the Board of Directors. There will be five open seats in the election taking place this February.

Dr. Robert Stephens is a professor at Stanford University and co-founder of the Darwin Day Program. He writes to the eMpirical to invite local groups to collaborate with the larger organization COPUS (Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science).

The SSA and several member groups cooperated to bring Speakers Bureau member Dan Barker on a speaking tour of several campuses in California and Texas. Here, we reprint coverage of one of his presentations, originally appearing in The Daily Texan on 11/19/07.

On September 20, 2007, Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) gave his first-ever public remarks on becoming the first openly Humanist and nontheistic member of U.S. Congress. This video, created and shared by the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University, shares those words with us.

Matthew LaClair is a senior at Kearny High School in Kearny, NJ. His work to keep religion out of his school was covered in the New York Times and the Village Voice, among others. His work has earned him several awards, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation's Thomas Jefferson Student Activist Award. Here, he tells his story to the SSA.

At the Freedom From Religion Foundation conference in October, we had the opportunity to meet with Matt LaClair for an interview. Read some of our chat with this outstanding high school student and teenaged student activist!

Kelly of the Rational Response Squad is writing a year-long series to address theist talking heads in the media. Kelly is a Psychology major, co-host of the RRS Radio show, and has been featured on ABC debating Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. Here, we reprint select articles with permission.

Dear Sweet Reason,

I recently started a relationship with someone who is a believer, while I am not. I want to make it easier for them to live with my non-belief. What should I do?

Senior Campus Organizer Alison Bates conducts this Student Voice Interview with Eric W. Frey, President of Secular Students of Miami.

Larry Mendoza, President of the Virginia Commonwealth United Secular Alliance at Virginia Commonwealth University, responds to this Student Voice Interview conducted by Alison Bates, senior campus organizer.