Another Christmas is upon us, and my thoughts are a mix of many things. The Ghost of Christmas Past reminds me of past joys, and special moments. The Ghost of Christmas Present seems only to have needed pepper spray this year to complete his mission. One can only wonder the thoughts of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. What might that skeletal shade think at our agendas and divisions, religious and economic? (Part of me understands why the person whose birthday we celebrate went on to say, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." The other part of me wants to mount thousand round per minute mini-guns at every store entrance, turn to the slavering hordes which feed the ‘round-the-clock, trample-your –neighbor-to-“provide”-for-your-family lunacy, and ask [rather rhetorically] "Now what, you selfish sons of mothers?")
I struggle with cynicism and hope. Cynicism is easy, isn't it? Hope, with her sisters, Faith and Charity, takes some effort and attention. (Forgive me -- I don't mean to make them sound like "high maintenance" women.)
It is easy to focus on what’s been lost this last decade, but I must remember that I have some presents to open because of relatives and a friend, and have a roof over my head because of the charity of long-standing friends, when I know I have not always been easy to stand by.
I look for the little miracles, not the least of which are awareness and gratitude. I wanna smile ‘til my face hurts. (I know, I know – it’s killin’ you.)
It is said by many that Christmas is for children, and I have no truck with that. We are children, though, but for a fraction of our lives. Then what?
Then, as a Christmas e-mail so elegantly illustrated, we make our own magic, don't we? A young lad, his belief in Santa Claus dashed by his older sister, is shown by his grandmother what it means to spread the meaning and joy of Christmas. They deliver a Christmas present and hide to watch the recipient receive his gift. (Grandma has explained, before they make the actual gift delivery, that secrecy is important. This is instructive, I think.) New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once said, "If you do a good deed, and more than two people know about it, you've done it for the wrong reasons."
We must not forget the many examples of charity throughout the land, notably, the many that quietly paid balances owed on layaway bills so that others might have some relief this holiday season. These are among many acts of charity and selflessness.
One thing I miss from my younger days is the radio programming over Christmas Eve that was played by one of the Chicago FM stations. It held to the programming through several changes of call letters and formats, though it seems to be lost, now, to the mists of corporate consolidation in the radio industry. Much of the music was the same as can be heard most any year, but what I miss are the renderings of stories by famous actors. I wish I remembered more of the details. Among them, Bing Crosby narrated a story of a gold plated statue with silver accents and bejeweled eyes. By the end of the story, the statue has given away its gold and jewels and all of its value to those less fortunate and in greater need. In another, Gregory Peck told the story of little Ayoo, the insignificant donkey which ends up being the very one to carry Mary and Jesus to Bethlehem. Stick a fork in me -- I'm done. Such fine stories so finely rendered about the true meanings of the Season.
Let us remember, like that old reformed miser, how to keep Christmas all the year long, and may God bless us, every one.
