perhaps the last christmas as we know it
***
THE SCROOGES AND GRINCHES OF THE WORLD HAVE BEEN LET LOOSE AND WON'T STOP UNLESS THEY ARE STOPPED
I've never had a bad Christmas.
Oh sure, there are a couple that stand out as extraordinarily sad or disappointing, and a few that were not nearly as happy as I'd wished. I'm no different from many other people.
But I wouldn't trade any of them for a month of any other regular days. Even in the bad times and moments, there has always been something special to look upon, and if it wasn't apparent immediately, that was my fault.
Which leads me to wonder - with the assaults against anything American, family, happy, religious (at least Christian), could this be our last Christmas (battered and bruised though the celebration has become) as we know it?
You know what I'm talking about without even listing any examples. It's all around us, and the people behind the insanity seem to be getting more and more power and influence, are becoming more and more brazen.
I skim through blogs and news stories and cringe at the anger, sadness, and bitterness that permeate so many people's lives. There has become an almost institutionalize effort to diminish, even ruin, the joy most of us feel in our minds and heart.
Even in tough times. Even when the grinches and scrooges of the world do their best to stomp on our traditions and tear down our symbols.
They are so miserable, and they hate to see people who are not, or who are able to set aside their disappointments and heartache for a while and meditate on the real spirit of Christmas, to think outside themselves for a change - whether it be for their children, a stranger in a parking lot, someone in the neighborhood who needs a few minutes of thoughtfulness, anybody really, anytime.
They just don't get it; I've seen and heard them say so, and that's one of the reasons they're so miserable, that they can't bear to admit it to themselves, and so they lash out at goodness, and warmth, and love.
They don't get it and, most probably, never will. I used to feel sad for these people, but now I just wish they'd cling to their bitterness and leave the rest of us alone. To be honest, after all these years of being sympathetic, I've just about had enough.
THE SCROOGES AND GRINCHES OF THE WORLD HAVE BEEN LET LOOSE AND WON'T STOP UNLESS THEY ARE STOPPED
I've never had a bad Christmas.
Oh sure, there are a couple that stand out as extraordinarily sad or disappointing, and a few that were not nearly as happy as I'd wished. I'm no different from many other people.
But I wouldn't trade any of them for a month of any other regular days. Even in the bad times and moments, there has always been something special to look upon, and if it wasn't apparent immediately, that was my fault.
Which leads me to wonder - with the assaults against anything American, family, happy, religious (at least Christian), could this be our last Christmas (battered and bruised though the celebration has become) as we know it?
You know what I'm talking about without even listing any examples. It's all around us, and the people behind the insanity seem to be getting more and more power and influence, are becoming more and more brazen.
I skim through blogs and news stories and cringe at the anger, sadness, and bitterness that permeate so many people's lives. There has become an almost institutionalize effort to diminish, even ruin, the joy most of us feel in our minds and heart.
Even in tough times. Even when the grinches and scrooges of the world do their best to stomp on our traditions and tear down our symbols.
They are so miserable, and they hate to see people who are not, or who are able to set aside their disappointments and heartache for a while and meditate on the real spirit of Christmas, to think outside themselves for a change - whether it be for their children, a stranger in a parking lot, someone in the neighborhood who needs a few minutes of thoughtfulness, anybody really, anytime.
They just don't get it; I've seen and heard them say so, and that's one of the reasons they're so miserable, that they can't bear to admit it to themselves, and so they lash out at goodness, and warmth, and love.
They don't get it and, most probably, never will. I used to feel sad for these people, but now I just wish they'd cling to their bitterness and leave the rest of us alone. To be honest, after all these years of being sympathetic, I've just about had enough.