‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire’
Twas ten days before Christmas and in my little studio, this creature was stirring some cocoa, that was good, tasted nice.
‘Jack Frost nipping at your nose’
But not in here. Here it’s toasty and warm. Which it should be since the thermostat is on 72 and the oven’s on 450°.
‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’
It truly is because I love the holidays.
Don’t you?
Sure we may remember more bad ones than good.
Dysfunction? Holiday’s middle name.
Presents? If you take the time to pick out a great gift, can’t your friends, family, and loved ones reciprocate? And stop with the intangible tangibles. If it can’t be seen, smelt, or touched, it doesn’t count. If it’s a Wal-Mart candle, it really doesn’t count.
‘I’m getting nuttin’ for Christmas, Cause I ain’t been nuttin’ but bad’
And speaking of the cops (weren’t we), in the name of all that is short in our city, state, and federal budgets, let’s give them the holidays off, except when needed for emergency calls. That means, NO TRAFFIC TICKETS. Nothing shares glee, like something under the tree, from the LAPD.
‘Dashing through the snow’
The snow (Kansas), the slush (Minnesota), the ice (Vermont), the heat (Florida). When we’re cold, we’re too cold. When we’re hot, it’s too hot.
‘O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, What happiness befalls me’
The tree is too tall.
The tree is too short.
It’s dry. It’s bare. It’s plastic. You’re spraying a can of evergreen in the air??
Yes, the holidays sucked, can suck.
Especially when you’re alone.
‘You’re nobody, til somebody loves you.’
Okay that’s not a holiday song, but that’s the real underlying holiday message. It’s all based on togetherness.
Thanksgiving – ‘to grandmother’s house we go.’
Channukah – a time to get with the community and give thanks and celebrate the end of another year.
Yule is a sharing of greetings and love – darkness is nigh, light is here.
Christmas: That whole story about the birth of Christ would never have worked if three guys with nothing to do (if they’d had something to do, they wouldn’t have been available to take a last minute trip) hadn’t decided to hang out with the boys and watch the stars (it was before the advent of cable). Take away any of these factors and a birth in a stable in the middle of tax season … No radio, newspapers, or tv. Yeah right. By the time that story got around …
Kwanzaa celebrates the unity of the community, it’s values and foundation.
And New Year’s Eve – well, it’s the worst of all. No one advertises they don’t have a date. Pathetic.
For almost 40 days and 40 nights we shout from the rooftops, ‘If you’re alone. If you have no one. You’re worthless.’
‘Silent night, holy night. All is calm. All is …’
And we get so caught up in our world we either fail to see or don’t care to see or try not to see, all is not right. All is not bright.
And we get so caught up in our world we paste a smile and fake a gaiety that all is right, all is bright, because we’re embarrassed to admit/open up/reach out.
‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light.
From now on our troubles will be out of sight’
We load up on carbs.
Drink way too much.
And exchange those dreadful candies we find at the corner drugstore. Shall we say Godiva!!
And about now you’re thinking, why am I reading this mess. I WAS happy.
Me too.
The intent was to share the holiday spirit, regardless of your religious or nonreligious faith and traditions.
The intent was to remember that it is a special time of year. Yeah some people say, ‘I celebrate the Christmas spirit all through the year. Not just during the holidays.’ Yeah, yeah, goody for you. We do too, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking time out during the year to say an extra thank you and be extra grateful.
The intent was to say ‘yeah, I like the presents. Sure some are given cuz I should, but the other 98% are because I care. And as much as I can say that in words, sometimes a present, given and received, is nice too.
The intent was to say ‘I’m sorry’ to myself for not getting it sooner.
The intent was to say ‘you’re missed’ to loved ones no longer here in body, but honored in spirit.
The intent was to say as much of a drag as it may be. As much as ‘I don’t wanna’. Make contact with someone who would be cheered knowing someone cared. We may be in their shoes and not even know it.
The intent was…
The intent was …
‘and in case you didn’t hear. Oh by golly, have a holly jolly holiday, this year’
