Sunday December 25th, 2011 - Fox Lake, IL Another Christmas comes and goes. All that hype. All that decorating. Was it worth it? Are more people on our planet genuinely happier today than yesterday? Will there ever be peace on Earth, good will toward men? Or, is it Hell on Earth and men toward Goodwill? I’m sure there must have been surveys done, but I wonder what the exact numbers boil down to as to how it shakes out just who likes the whole Christmas experience and who can’t stand it. I’ve met quite a few of both in my travels, and both camps are passionate. Like many ideas, the concept of Christmas is a big winner in theory. So is communism, but a glitch usually comes along and wipes out all the positives. No matter what anyone’s religious beliefs may or may not be, on paper, Christmas has a wonderful ideal for us all. In reality, it’s a huge pain in the ass for a large percentage of the population everywhere and it ends up being stressful and unfulfilling. I wish it weren’t that way, but it is. I know kids love it, but can’t there be a better way to celebrate and give gifts? Can’t we just lay it on the line and tell kids there’s a tradition once a year when people like to exchange gifts? We won’t have to fabricate the all time whopper of whoppers about some mysteriously appearing fat man in a red and white fuzzy pimp suit who flies around in a giant sled with toys in it, randomly giving them to kids who eat all their vegetables throughout the year. Tell the kids the truth from the start, and Christmas could still be a big winner. It would sure take a lot of the pressure off, and maybe relieve some of the tension of having to buy gifts for people we don’t really want to buy for. Let’s tweak the system and do it correctly from the start. Level with the kids up front, and then there won’t be disappointment later. I know I would have been able to handle this concept without incident, and I really have to believe most other kids would too. We’re not stupid, just naïve and inexperienced. We believe what we’re told, because we haven’t been given a reason not to yet. The adults are in charge and have our trust, and then they choose to tell us a big lie and not back down. Most of the goofy traditions we ‘celebrate’ now come from Pagan rituals anyway. It’s a watered down mix of a lot of things all thrown together, including the mythical need for a snow covered wonderland to make everything ‘holy’. That alone creates a lot of pressure. I really don’t consider myself a Scrooge, even though the older I get I find myself hating and bashing every facet of what I think is an increasingly stupid yearly event. I may not be fond of the event itself, but it doesn’t mean I don’t like the theory of it all. I absolutely do. Sharing, giving and thinking of others first is all something everyone should do anyway. It shouldn’t be narrowed down to one day late in the year. Life itself should be Christmas, and every day a new present not only to open, but to share with those we love. That’s how I want to live my life, and it‘s all I can handle to keep slugging. Today is just another day.
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