UPI‘s got a story up (spoiler alert: you don’t need to go there, I’m about to explain it here) about a Canadian school that’s done-away with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

The school - Astral Drive Elementary School in Nova Scotia – instead holds “Family Day” on May 15 to include non-traditional families.

Merry Christmas from 8BitDad! We hope you’ve had a great year and that you’re spending time with family and friends.

Oh, and sorry Jews, we hope you had a Happy Hannukah too. Oh, and Kwanzaa starts Wednesday, December 26. That about does it for us.

Love, peace and afro grease. – 8BitDad

Christmas is less than one week from now. You’ve got a short amount of time to get gifts for your family and friends – but you might still be able to save a couple of dollars in the process.

Us 8BitDad types are smart cookies, so we compiled a couple of last minute tips to help you shop for that perfect gift – quickly, and hopefully at a discount. We’ve also got a tip from Zack of CouponDad.net to help save Christmas (and your marriage). And if we’re no help this year, bookmark this page and use it next year. Deal?

Are you a divorced dad, dreading going through the holidays? Maybe you just got a divorce this year, or maybe it’s been awhile, but the holidays are still uncomfortable for you. It happens.

Daniel Ruyter, the mind behind Memoirs of A Single Dad has a list of 11 simple things a divorced dad can do to help himself (and his family) get through the holidays.

We don’t know much about Thailand, but what we do know is that the date of Father’s Day is always determined by the Thai King’s birthday. The current King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, celebrates his birthday on December 5, so…you get the idea. Happy Father’s Day, Thailand (it’s tomorrow there today, FYI).

I know, I know. It’s hip to be counter-culture and anti-establishment nowadays. But it seems like one thing that’s persisting is this Thanksgiving thing where we teach our kids to be thankful and gracious one day out of the year. And now that it’s over, there’s nary a whisper of being thankful about things. We’re onto bigger and better things, like the pursuit of the “perfect” (read: expensive, but bought on discount) gift.

As time has gone on, we’ve learned the not-incredible truth about Thanksgiving; the holiday’s based on a half-truth legend, and not an amazing one for race relations. Euro-dudes stormed New England, raped and killed the Native Americans, and then sat down to one nice dinner with them to learn how to farm. Then, of course, more raping and killing. Nowadays, Native Americans have got to love seeing stuff about Thanksgiving on television, as we get all pompous and self-righteously thankful.

But that’s like, all in the past. [Insert Awkward Silence]

These days, how do we usually show thanks in our own families? Typically, an uninspired, generic statement at Thanksgiving dinner, like “I’m thankful for my family – and all of you guys!” Sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving! We talk about why you should respect the bird this Thanksgiving and how Black Friday effects families.

Even if you’re still sucking down leftover Halloween candy and thinking about who’s sitting next to who on Thanksgiving, the retail machine is onto its next big thing. Tis the season for retailers to make dads look like incompetent fools and walking wallets. Sears is more than happy to step up and give it a go with their commercial “Holiday Baby”.

In the 30-second spot, dad’s checking out a no-doubt incredible drill while ignoring his child. And you just won’t believe what happens next! Okay, you will.