Rather than upstage the many other artricles about Christmas,
I share with you a few excerpts from a local journalist's writing
in December 2014...experiences published by Paul Benedetti:
The Good, the Bad
and the Delicious of the Holiday Season
Everything, it seems, comes in twelves at Christmas time.
The
'Twelve Days of Christmas' ...the 12 people you are forced to invite
for dinner...the 12 pounds you put on between now and New Year's
Eve...and the same 12 CDs you play over and over, until someone
screams, “Make
it Stop! Make it Stop!”
and falls on the floor thrashing around. (OK, that last one is me
and it usually happens right after the 147th
hearing of Burl Ives, 'Holly Jolly Christmas')
Let's face it: the Christmas season is a mix of good...and well,
not-so-good-things. So, along with your list of To-Dos, your gift
list and your Christmas Dinner grocery list...here's my list: (Good
and Bad) Things About Christmas.
Driving
to the Mall
and circling around the lot for about 20 minutes trying to find an
open spot...and then finding one and getting into an altercation with
the guy who drives up at the last second...and steals the spot...and
then driving around some more...and then banging on the dashboard
hysterically and driving home!
Eggnog:
Super fattening. And delicious!
The
Dreaded Christmas Office Party:
Being forced to chat with Manny, the office weasel who always eats
with his mouth open? Listening to Eleanor complain, only now, she's
wearing an elf hat? Having drinks with your manager who just
announced that 'downsizing' starts in January? I'd rather have the
flu!
Receiving
the Few...now rare...Real Christmas Cards in the Mail:
Old-fashioned cards with a winter scene on the front and a
hand-written message inside. They're like missives from the
past...vestiges of a time before mail and texting...when the
slow-flow of handwriting made people pause and think about what they
wanted to say. I especially like the card I get from my pal, Wayne
who, each year, turns a photograph he's taken into a hand-made card
and then gets his wife,who has better penmanship, to scribe a lovely
note. It sits on our mantel...a lonely reminder of Christmas before
the Internet!
The
Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes:
My wife says it makes the house smell for seven days...but who
cares?
The
Dreaded “Christmas Family Update Letter:”
OK, your daughter got into Harvard...you were promoted to
vice-president...your golf holiday in January was perfect...and your
dog just got inducted into Mensa. It just wouln't be Christmas
without hearing about your money...your gifted kids...and your
perfect life. I'd love to write back, but I've got to go to the Food
Bank...get my car out of repo (again)...and, oh yeah, my motorhome is
on fire!
Waking
Up Christmas Morning
and having panettone with coffee and Baileys. Super fattening. And
really delicous!
Buying
a $20 Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree
at Ikea...and getting a $20 coupon back! Made getting in and out of
the parking lot worth it!
Finding
a $100 Gift Card
in the last year's wrapping paper box that expired two months ago!
Mashed
Rutabaga:
Mashed parsnips...Mashed turnip. Not even babies will eat it!
Leaving
a Bottle of Wine
for the mailman because he makes it to your door everyday, rain or
sleet or snow...and he's always smiling!
Driving
to Niagara Falls
with my brothers to attend the arranged Christmas Party for my
developmentally delayed cousin, Julia Mary. It was held in an old
firehall...and the staff of their group made a full Christmas
dinner...including turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. Julia,
who is now in her late 40's, was there with her three roommates as
well as a handful of other residents and their families. We had
non-alcoholic punch...ate our dinner...sang Christmas carols (badly,
yet nobody cared)...and waited for Santa to arrive. The residents,
no matter what their ages, retain a child-like excitement about
Christmas...and they erupted in squeals and cheers when Santa
arrived. They got their presents...we danced around the room in a
congo line and the “kids” loved every minute of it.
The next day my brother wrote me an email that said,
“It was a wonderful evening...the true meaning of Christmas!”
“It was a wonderful evening...the true meaning of Christmas!”
He's Right!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The story of “White Christmas” is undoubtedly the most famous and
popular Christmas song. Music and lyrics for it were written by
Irving Berlin in 1942, originally featured in the movie starring Bing
Crosby. The lyrics of White Christmas struck a chord with the
soldiers fighting in WWII and their families waiting for them back
home.
I'm dreaming of a White Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know...
Where the tree tops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
I'm dreaming of a White Christmas.
With every Christmas card I write:
“May
your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be bright!”
To all my readers, I sincerely wish Merry Christmas
and for 2017, a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Merle Baird-Kerr...December 20,
2016
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