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Saturday, December 25. 2010
The Reason For The Season
Just finished watching the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol, starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Leo G. Carroll as the Ghost of Jacob Marley! If I’m rating the different versions that have come out over the years, this one is number two, behind the one featuring George C. Scott, the TV Version if you will, with Frank Finlay as Marley’s Ghost and Susannah York as Mrs. Cratchit!Besides a tale about the evils of greed and selfishness, it’s also about, probably mainly about, the meaning of Christmas and the task of carrying that ideal attitude through every day of the year. It’s been decades since I read the original Dickens tale, but both versions follow closely to the story, as told by the novelist.
Scrooge changes his ways by the end, having been visited by four ghosts (let’s not forget Marley!). Scrooge makes good with his nephew, his heir, and then to his one employee, Bob Cratchit. We can’t help but feel good at the end! Mr. Scrooge is laughing! He’s acknowledging his miserly and selfish past and laughing at his past folly! Who cannot like that!
And we often walk around mimicking the former Mr. Scrooge: “Bah, Humbug!” “Christmas is for fools!” But that’s usually when we’re getting overwhelmed by the frenetic pace that typifies Christmas. We all have to run around buying gifts, getting all the right foods, getting the right clothes because the really nice clothes we wore last Christmas just won’t do for this Christmas.
Forgetting of course what Christmas is all about. Personally, I’m not talking the Christian reason for Christmas. Tired of seeing and hearing, “Remember the reason for the Season.” Well, okay, here’s a reason for this season:
In Northern Europe the people celebrated Yule. This was the pre-Roman and therefore pre-Christian, era. Those people decorated a Yule Log with boughs of Holly and Fir, inscribing runes on it calling on the gods to protect them from evil and bad times.The Northern Europeans also decorated Holiday Trees and hung mistletoe, not for easy kisses, but to resurrect the Dead. Maybe Aunt Mollie kissing old Uncle Ralph is her bid to resurrect his Little Ralph. Eh, ya never know.
For me, the Reason for the Season is to remember my Family, not as I do all year ’round, but more so. It’s no accident the Christian Christmas coincides with the Northern Winter Solstice; the Romans set it up this way because spiritually, the Winter Solstice is the new beginning, the start of the wheel of life, when all the beings, from plants, to animals to fish, begin their rebirth.
The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and from that day until the summer Solstice, when we have the longest day of the year, we celebrate renewal and growth.But I have family — most of my family — will celebrate Christmas in the Christian Tradition, with Christ as the reason for the Season. Not only is that okay with me, I hope they include me in their prayers and expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving. I know they will include me in their round of funny family stories … wish I could be “there,” you know, to defend myself, or at least tell a funnier version! Why tell a good story honestly when you can dress it up with a bit of exaggeration, hyperbole and undue melodrama! That’s my philosophy!
And I include them in my moments of thoughtful remembrance, gratitude and thanksgiving, especially today. Thanks to the advent of the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones and Facebook, I am “closer” to them as I ever was; we “talk” nearly every day and can check up on their daily activity with the click of a button, or two.
So, to my family: Cheryl, Mary Lou, Rick, Elaine, Tony and Ken; Lloyd, Judy (Great sweater!), and Gordon; Christopher, Nancy, Sarah, Daniel, Bre, Anthony, Andrew, Emyli, Kelsey, Sabrina, Channing, Brandon and Sydney:
And my closest friends: Dan, John, Eric, Grant and the Missus Jess, Mike, Ray-Ray, Liz, Brian (my lunch buddy) and Claudia.
— Thank you all and may all of you find nothing but blessings today and every day! I have more friends really: Alan from the Nooners, Terry and Julie — JULIE — Keith, Vicki, TomCat (that’s actually 2 people), Bill and Bill and Bunny, and Mike — that Mike (Thanks for remembering I’m the King) — Gary, Brian and Lisa-Lisa, and so many more!Some of these friends go back nearly 20 years. If I’ve learned anything worthwhile in life, it’s remembering those who are the closest to me and have been there in sickness and in health, for better or worse; in short: my loved ones!
My wish for everyone, and some in particular, is that if you don’t know who your loved ones are, really, you come to know them and be grateful to have them in your life. That’s the reason for the season for me.
— But, if you wanna send me gifts, that’s okay with me too!
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