A Christmas Wish 2023

Christmas Eve is again arrived.  And even the busiest among us will, hopefully, put aside the day-to-day struggle and embrace the traditions of the past with friends and family.  Of course, those with young children are in the thick of it and have the primary responsibility to transmit all the customs and follow all the protocols for the children.

But even oldsters like myself are free to join in and contribute to the atmosphere of traditional cheer.  In fact, as a bridge to the long-ago times when a richer meaning was attached to the holiday, we ancients can perform a special function.  We can give a perspective into Christmas that provides a more satisfying rational than just an excuse for Amazon to sell toys and demented pop singers to screech and gyrate to “All I Want for Christmas is You.”  You can explain that even non-Christians recognize the beauty of the Christmas story and empathize with the holiday’s mandate for all people to share in a truce from preying on each other and try to feel a kindred spirit with all mankind.

And for Christians it is a celebration of the coming of a new covenant that calls on all men to treat each other as brothers and recognize the divinity of the human soul and the necessity of treating each other with the requisite dignity.

And just as importantly we can have a great time and make memories that will last a lifetime.  I always eat myself into a stupor on Christmas Eve and Day.  Camera Girl is a wonderfully good cook who always overdoes holiday meals, especially desserts.  And I’m often in danger of eating myself into an early grave.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how I eventually go.  But as they say, “What a way to go!”

We’ll be out at a family feast on Christmas Eve and at home with about the same crowd on Christmas Day.  This year will be much like the recent past but as always there will be new happy and sad tidings to talk about and we’ll welcome new acquaintances and remember sadly those who are gone.  And we’ll tell all the same stories but including to some who have never heard them before.  And we’ll talk about the New Year and everyone’s hopes and plans.

And after everyone has gone home, we’ll finally stagger into bed at some late hour and groan from all the food eaten (at least I will).  But the magic will still have performed the miracle.  I will feel at peace with the universe for at least the week between Christmas and New Year.  After that, the horrors of our fallen world will have a whole year to wear away at my faith in humanity and my stomach lining.  But it’s enough to have this holiday and to share it with the people I love and try to regain my equilibrium and pack on a few pounds that I can use as an excuse to keep up with an exercise regimen.

I hope whatever rituals you follow are joyful and satisfying and provide the mental and spiritual renewal necessary to make it through another year.  And as Dickens wrote, “God bless us all, everyone.”  Even you Democrat weirdos.