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The Amaz!ng Meeting is a celebration of skeptics and skepticism sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation. Thinking people travel the world to share a few days of learning, laughs and life with fellow skeptics and distinguished guest speakers.

Matt stone and Trey Parker ( south park)

John Renni (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN magazine)

Christopher Hitchens ( journalist and literary critic)

Adam Savage (co-host of the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters)

Dr. Phil Plait (BadAstronomy.com)

Dr. Richard Wiseman (award-winning professional magician)

Penn and Teller (from the show Bullshit)

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott ( Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education)

Peter Sagal (he host of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! since May, 1998.)

Dr. Neil Gershenfeld (the Director of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms.)

Dr. Nick Gillespie (editor-in-chief of Reason magazine)

James "The Amazing" Randi (Founder and President of the James Randi Educational Foundation.)

AND MANY MORE ...

Brightsday is a new secuday (secular holiday) observed on the 27th of December. It is celebrated by brights and other non-theists who enjoy the tradition of sharing gifts in late December but wish not to endorse the christian faith.

All of the things that people normally do on christmas (i.e. decorating a tree, putting up lights, eating an elaborate dinner, exchanging gifts, etc.) can still be practiced on Brightsday. The only differences are that it's celebrated on the 27th instead of the 25th, and that there are no religious connotations. Brightsday is a secuday, not a holiday.

In addition to the well known traditions, Brightsday also offers extra activities for young children, such as magic tricks and crystal growing. These activities will serve to strengthen the rational abilities of their developing minds.

Children who perform magic tricks gain an understanding of the nature of deception and have an increased likelihood of becoming skeptics as adults. This is why so many renowned skeptics are also magicians (e.g. Harry Houdini, the Amazing James Randi, Penn & Teller, Jamy Ian Swiss, and the list goes on). Ideally, the magic tricks should be performed in groups of 3 to 6 children, where each child performs one trick that he or she has chosen ahead of time and practiced.

Crystal growing demonstrates how order arises from disorder through simple chemical processes. Many adults who believe in the supernatural are under the impression that without intelligent intervention, there is only disorder, and that life could never have formed. The principles of Abiogenesis (the idea that life first formed from non-life through natural processes) can be better understood by children who have observed order in natural processes, such as crystal growing. In addition to crystals, children can also grow rock candy, which can be eaten and enjoyed on Brightsday morning.

Another fun activity for children to do that demonstrates order in nature is looking at snowflakes under a microscope. Not everywhere does it snow on December the 27th, but in many places it does. So make sure to take advantage of this display of aesthetic order if you live in the right environment and have access to a microscope.

FAQ

- How rigid are the rules of Brightsday?

Not very rigid at all. You can put up a tree or menorah, or nothing whatsoever. It's entirely up to you. If you're working on the 27th and only have the 25th off, then go ahead and celebrate it on the 25th. The most important thing is that we recognize that we are celebrating "Brightsday" rather than "christmas". It might sound silly at first to use a different name to describe the same basic idea, but this is the entire point of consciousness raisers, and it really does work to raise consciousness.

- Where does Brightsday stand on the advocation of the santa clause myth?

Out of all the traditions of christmas, this is the one that we have the biggest problem with. It's just not nice to lie to children. We're trying to teach children how NOT to be deceived. That's the whole purpose of encouraging them to perform magic tricks. It seems kinda counterproductive to ruin all that by lying to them. Not to mention, it's instilling an idea in their young heads that there's "proof" that they've been visited by a very supernatural sort of man. So,,, if you really want to lie to your kids, then we can't stop you, but we advise everyone to think twice.

- Why December 27th?

This secuday is intended to be an alternative for christmas, so the date needs to be near the 25th. It should come AFTER the 25th rather than before it though because children have trouble dealing with the days after. If Brightsday were to be celebrated on the 23rd, then children would feel envy for those who celebrate christmas. This way though, children will not feel this envy because they will only have to wait an additional 2 days rather than 363 days. (We are aware that this might cause the children who celebrate christmas to be jealous, but they're welcome to join in on the fun.) Once that it's established that Brightsday should come after the 25th, it needs to be pointed out that the 26th is too early, for this would put BrightsEVE on the 25th, (and Brightseve is a secuday all on its own which deserves its own day, one that isn't overshadowed by christmas). So, the 27th would seem to be the most strategically placed day for Brightsday, allowing for the 26th to be celebrated as Brightseve.