Christmas, 2007

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Christmas, for me, is a challenge.  And I mean that in a good way.

And I don’t just mean in a theological way – although Easter is the real existential throw-down, Christmas issues challenges to the believer as well.

But for me, the challenge is to both feel and exhibit the spirit of Christmas – really, the plural spirits of Christmas, sacred and social and secular.  And I’m not pollyanna enough not to know that the pressure is there; theologically, the believer wants the season to be a revelation to him/her and the whole family; socially, the pressure is on to be happy, dammit.  For many, the holidays dredge up iffy-to-terrible family memories – I’m lucky that way.  For people with families, the pressure is there to make sure the kids have a memorable time, one that they’ll remember fondly to their own kids, and grandkids, long after we’re gone.  And the idea of failing on any of those fronts – wallowing in childhood angst, feeling stressed and depressed, worrying about the memories you’re leaving your kids – is enough to shave a couple of inches off the top of any holiday joy you might be trying to feel.

It was years ago, surrounded in holiday-time angst and years before I ever heard Dennis Prager do his “Happiness Hour”, that I decided “Bullshit”.  No matter what the financial stress or personal turmoil, I was going to enjoy Christmas, first and foremost, period, end of sentence.  I would put aside whatever angst befell me, and just focus on what mattered; the two vexing-but-wonderful kids that God blessed me with, my extended family, the great blessings I have in my life, and above all the birth of Christ.

And so too this year.  The vexations are there; teenagers, mortgage sweats, the onset of a busy, busy year. 

But the blessings outweigh them logarithmically.  And there is so much to be happy about.

So from Bun, Zam, Clu, Nosemarie, Candy and I, may you have a blessed Christmas season.  If you’re one of my Christian readers, God bless.  If you believe in something else, please accept a big Care package of goodwill, care of the Savior I’m celebrating.  If you believe in nothing, well – have a good couple of days off.  You deserve it too.

If you’re one of my readers serving this country this Christmas, especially overseas, please accept my sincere thanks and the hopes that the New Year will see you home, safe, with your various missions a lot closer to accomplished. 

And thank you all for another great year on this blog.  Having an audience for my little musings, ponderings and rantings is a gift every single day.  Thank you.

11 thoughts on “Christmas, 2007”

  1. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you as well Mitch. It’s always interesting on this blog! I wish a Merry Christmas to the rest of the motley crew that posts here, too…

  2. OK Mitch, please decipher this: And I’m not pollyanna enough not to know. I may be intellectually challenged, but that is just a Mobius Strip of a statement.

    I must admit I’ve never liked Christmas much. I’m an Easter kind of guy. The crass commercialism aside, the brass tacks reality of Christmas is we Humans are just so effed up God had to come down and try to clean up our mess. It is not flattering. Well we couldn’t have my Easter without first having the Advent, so I’ll just smile and ho ho ho my way through it.

  3. Merry Christmas to all! And the best of luck in the New Year, Mitch, especially with that mortgage thing.

    I’ll disagree with Kermit. I’ve got little kids, and there’s nothing like the excitement of Christmas with them. And since they’re in private schools they’re still learning about Christmas and Jesus and the reason for the season. And for them, all the other stuff of gifts, parties, get togethers and the like only reinforces the zeal.

    Easter is the season for believing adults, but nothing beats watching early grade schoolers’ excitement over Christmas!

  5. Mele Kalikimaka & Hau’oli Makahiki Hou from Volcano on the Big Island to SITD’s proprietor & all commenters & trolls!
    What is Christmas Eve like here in the tropics? You can see a pic taken from the lanai of Terry’s estate here:
    http://bilinux.com/IMG_1371.JPG
    At 10:13 AM, 52 deg & more rain and fog.

  6. Beautiful Terry! But not quite “right”! Christmas is 10 above and LOTS of snow….and then it could all leave about Jan. 2nd and life would be perfect….

  7. but nothing beats watching early grade schoolers’ excitement over Christmas
    I’ve got a 21 year old kid who’s pretty jazzed about it, too. We may not have Terry’s tropical foliage but we have the most important thing, which is each other. Blessings to all of you on this best day of the year.

  10. Terry, I remember reading of the difficulties the Army had during WWII of getting the brass in Washington to send them some snow equipment so they could reach the radar installations up there. Apparently it took over a year before they managed to get the equipment.

  11. I’m in Ohio right now (for Christmas, 40s and 50s), but I do remember a Chistmas in Mazatlan one year. It was too odd.

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