MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have never had such a difficult time writing my Christmas article.  Usually, it is about whether to wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or how the commercialization of Christmas is destroying the meaning of the day.  I took a great deal of joy in sharing the excitement of the season, but most importantly, remembering the story of the Christ Child and the impact that an impoverished, penniless, immigrant had on the entire world.  

This year is different. I didn’t feel the wonderful anticipation that was a signal of the season.  It was interrupted by a nationwide atmosphere of anger and hate.  Bullying and suicide rates are rising dramatically, and I don’t think you could find too many folks who say that they are not anxious or depressed.  The words “We the people” have been forgotten and replaced by “I the mighty.”  Trickle-down economics hasn’t worked but trickle-down hate has been a monumental success.

I tried to find the old favorites on TV; but unless you had a subscription service, they are being crowded out by reality shows, horror movies or something intellectually stimulating like “Dr. Pimple Popper”.

So, I expanded my search. Claire and I went out to a Christmas concert by a young persons’ chorale.  They started off with some traditional carols and did a wonderful job on medleys from Christmas past, present and future.  THIS IS IT! A real celebration of Christmas!  Wrong again!  Just as I thought it was headed in the right direction, it went south as they started singing a song about Santa.  Was it a cute HO HO HO?  NO NO NO! It was a satire about how Santa fell out of his sled, crashed through a roof and crushed a bed.  They went on to sing about how fat Santa was and how he needed to eat carrots instead of cookies.  Demeaning to many on so many levels, I hope that the person who picked (and wrote) that song gets nothing but coal in their stocking and major weight gain this Christmas.

A few days after that I was invited to a grade school play by my granddaughter, Piper. Be honest parents and grandparents!  Most plays that star kids from kindergarten to 6^thgrade are usually an exercise in cuteness, so I wasn’t expecting too much inspiration. After all it wasn’t even a Christmas show. 

I couldn’t have been more wrong, for in that hour, I found Christmas!  The play was a very, very loose interpretation of the story The Emperor’s New Clothes.  As Piper and her buddies started singing, I caught the words, “It’s character not the clothes that matter!”  I perked up and really started to pay attention! Within a few moments, I wanted to tell all of the audience to put their phones down and pay attention.  They continued with lessons about life that all of us should take to heart.  “It’s not the clothes that are important, it’s how you treat others” is a message we all need to heed! It ended with the Emperor, the royal visitors and the town full of tradespeople realizing that we are all human beings who need to work together for the good of all!  By the end of the show I had a Christmas wish that all of our politicians, drug company CEO’s and all of the “powerful”, had to sit through this show 24/7 until they got it right!

So, it was at an elementary school play that the spirit of Christmas was rekindled.  I have to thank Piper and all of those kids who delivered that Christmas message, a message of HOPE and CHANGE!  The message that substance, kindness and respect can lead to change is a Christmas gift that is sorely needed this year.  So, for Piper and her fellow thespians, THANK YOU for delivering the message of the Christ Child in a totally unexpected place and way. May we open our eyes and hearts to that message throughout 2020!

MERRY CHRISTMAS