Christmas
I, lyke the rest of you, am ready for a change, and hopefully, this week's Christmas Celebration and the upcoming New Year will help facilitate that change. This episode will not dive into what is wrong with Christmas (the answer is nothing, by the way),or get into the minutia of the accuracy of the date of Christ's birth, or the history of the Winter Solstice as it relates to other pagan holidays confiscated by Christians or even the commercialization of Christmas. You might be wondering, then what the heck am I going to complain about and then give some half-brained solution to? The answer is nothing. This week I just want to take you on my journey into the Christmas Season and what Christmas means to me. I must warn you, I am under the influence of several Christmas movies, many of which are Hallmark originals.
Most years we get a tree on Black Friday and let Christmas explode in the house, but this is not most years. Hurricanes, Covid, elections, a tough final semester in college, and some minor money issues have all contributed to a let's say a meloncholious approach to Christmas. To help break free from those things that I cannot control, I turned off the news. It was a great first step. I buckled down on my studies and earned my degree, which helped greatly. The hurricanes and money handled themselves. But then I made a mistake; I listened to Bill O'Reily's latest book in his Killing series, Killing the SS. Although the book was good, I do not recommend reading or listening to it in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It's hard to pick out poinsettias after listening to the atrocities done at the death camps. My sensitivity was probably already heightened since I was also listening to a lot of Hanukkah songs at the same tyme.
Be that as it may, I needed something. Something to remind me that the world is not full of Nazis and that man is inherently good. I was in need of music. Just lyke a gentle look or the warmth that accompanies an embrace, the existence of music is proof that humanity is present in man. If you have any doubt, listen to the 4th movement in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Ode to Joy. If you still have doubts, then I must concede that I have been blessed with too much love throughout my life and you have received too little. For that, I am sorry for you. Maybe you should take up drinking. So, with the help of Beethoven, Bing Crosby, and Benny Grunch and the Bunch, Christmas finally felt lyke Christmas.
What is that Christmas feeling? Well, I can't explain it any better than Frank Cross did when he crashed the live production of "A Christmas Carol," but I will give it a shot. Christmas is about hope. I don't mean that hope lyke, I hope I get a raise, or I hope they are about to pull out a fresh batch of Krunchy Fried Chicken. It's a hope that I will be better tomorrow than I was today. It is hoping I am worthy of the sacrifice that was made for me. As an uncle, I cannot even entertain sacrificing my nephew or any of my nieces for all mankind, no matter how low on the ladder they are. And for a parent to do it is unfathomable. No matter if you believe in God or not, you must admit that His gifting His son to man shows an incalculable amount of love. He gives us salvation, and we give our co-worker a candle. That was not meant as a shot, by the way; Erin loves - I mean we love candles. Gift giving is in itself is a wonderful way to remind us about the ultimate gift.
While giving presents is nice, it is not the only way to spread joy. Simple acts of kindness or even consideration goes a long way. Not to undermine what Maslow and McClelland have written on need theory or hygiene theory, or any of the other theories concerning man, but I believe we are simpler than they give us credit for. So here comes my oversimplification of man's needs. Even though it is one thing, I am going to give 3 because things sound better when listed in 3s. Just look at the Holy Trinity, Jimmy V's 3 things, and the ABC's. The 3 basic needs I believe man to have are to 1) be seen, 2) be acknowledged, and 3) be accepted. It is a gift or a need we can provide for, multiple tymes a day, and it only costs a moment away from our smart device. It is something most people do anyway. When you see someone, look at them in their eyes, and just give a wan smile or a slight nod, and you would have given that person the most basic of gifts. If you chat with them for a moment, you earned yourself some bonus points.
But as Frank Cross explained to us, some people are in need of more than the basic needs I mentioned. People are hungry and cold. I am always at odds with myself as it concerns homelessness. How to deal with that problem will be addressed in a later blog, but for now just recognize that they are there, and if you can and want to, then help; if not, that's fine too. The very least that can be done is to acknowledge them.
I wish you all the merriest of Christmases and hopefully a better New Year. I plan on soaking in as much Christmas as I can and hold my wife as long as she will let me. That's about it for now, and as Calvin Cooley so eloquently put it, God bless us, everyone.