Oh, How I Love Christmas

First, let me set the stage. For many of my years I've lived seven miles from a gas station, twenty-two miles from a loaf of bread, and forty-five miles from a movie theatre--where they show only one show at a time. I go to town generally once a week on my 'town day'. This may give me a skewed perspective. Maybe.

Second, my birthday is the twenty-third of December. That gives me an extra holiday during this holiday season. In our home as I grew up, we received one present for our birthday and a cake. But the real present for me was that we didn't have to do any work on our birthdays. We could ask other family members to wait on us and as long as we were nice about it, they would. It was like being Queen for a day. And with the twenty-third as my birthday, I rarely had to go to school and as an adult have always taken the day off, paid or not. After all, if you can't celebrate your own day then what good is your life? As you can see, I hold that as a minimum celebration. And to this day, do not turn a tap on my birthday--unless I really, really want to. As I believe I mentioned. That's an extra holiday for me. Yippee!!

Last, Christmas comes at exactly the right time--the middle of winter. How does it get better than that? We can't go out an play so why not have great food, open presents, and see family and friends we haven't had time to see for a while inside the house. And the best part? They're all bunched up in one place and easy to find!!

Without Christmas, how would the merchants know when to bring out the new models of washers and dryers? Without Christmas, who would think up special songs to sing? Without Christmas how would some of us find jobs in the dead of winter for money to tide us through? How would stores know when to fill the shelves to bursting, decorate, and advertise to get a chance at our money to be the equivalent of their 'harvest'?

Without Christmas we'd never see all the new toys because we wouldn't know when to go looking for them. And that would be a sad, sad, tragedy.

Oh, and the food. Most of us can't really afford not to have all the eating done in one little six week season. My goodness, we'd be able to tuck our heads and roll to town. No need for a car at all! Without a Christmas season there wouldn't be china to pass down. If we used it year round it wouldn't have the proper reverence we give it as special. We'd be using it for everyday and chip the h$ll out of it.

Thank God for Christmas for without His input we'd be completely hedonistic. Because of His influence in different ways through different religions we learn to be tolerant and treat others during this particular season as we would like others to treat us. And should we be some of those who don't believe in Him. It doesn't matter, for the attitude of benevolence still surrounds us all.

Thank the good providence that Christmas exists. For it brings a poignant sadness remembering those who aren't here with us. For without a bit of sour, we can't see what joy we really have or have had or need to make.

Oh, how I love Christmas.