*jumps up on a table in the center of the public square and clinks on a glass to get everyone's attention*

Today, on December 17th we remember such momentous occasions on the web such as the first usage of the word #Weblog and the release of #CSS, both in fact, 25 years old today.

We recognize the tireless work of the #w3c in its momentous undertaking to develop protocols and standards that encourage cooperation, of which #ActivityPub is another result and reminder of their hard work and without which #Mastodon would not be possible.

Today it does not matter if you are using #Mastodon or #Pleroma or #Pixelfed or #Friendica or one of the many other projects in the #Fediverse family.

For those who have the means and ability to do so, I would invite you to contribute your money, your time, your boosts and above all your gratitude for the following causes:

- your instance owners, for their hard work in keeping this space running

- one of the many open source projects in which #Mastodon is just one in a many long line of

- your favorite artists, musicians, and writers who enrich our timelines on a daily basis -

- and especially and perhaps most importantly, those you know on the #Fediverse and off, who may be from marginalized communities, disabled, or otherwise having a difficult time this holiday season.

If you know of a worthy recipient of such a contribution, I gladly welcome you to share them in reply to this thread, tag them with relevant tags, and invite you to boost liberally.

IN the spirit of #JohnMastodon and the reminder that sometimes we all just need to run with a meme and just laugh and be joyful and creative together, regardless of what our background is..... I propose a toot, I mean toast... to YOU the good people of the #Fediverse.

Have a happy holiday season no matter what you celebrate, or a joyous day should you not celebrate any holiday this time of year at all.

Now, get out there and boost this toot. 😂