This week, I reviewed Sam Harris’ newish book, Letter To A Christian Nation, in celebration of the holiday. Last Christmas, my wife and I were making the hellish drive to Central California and stumbled across a wayward NPR signal in the wilds between Redding and Sacramento, and caught a speech Harris gave at Idea City 2005. It made the trip—and the prospect of religious-themed visits with the family—slightly more bearable.

Through the wonders of YouTube, here’s the speech he delivered (he’s a much better writer than a speaker, and you’ll have to ignore the fact that he looks like a cross between Seth Green and Ben Stiller, but still, if you can spare the 25 minutes, it’s well worth your time):

Oh, and as for the title of this post—if the little atheist or budding atheist in your life hasn’t already picked up a copy, either of Harris’ books, End of Faith and Letter To A Christian Nation, or Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, would make a fantastic gift.