Cyclist / Sailor / Author / Speaker
Merry Christmas.
Now, just because I consider myself a Christian, don’t assume I’m one of those who thinks only Christians get to celebrate these wonderful winter holidays. Folks of nearly all religions – and no religions – have been celebrating the Winter Solstice season as far back as records and myths go.
Christmas is a time for merriment; a time for caroling and inveterate expletives uttered at the strings of outdoor Christmas lights that inexplicably won’t light. Yet beyond the generally festive mood, sometimes lurks a bit of Holiday tension. At my house, this light-hearted strain manifests itself as the perennial disagreement between me and my wife over the Christmas tree: artificial or real. Just when the scrape has scabbed over from the previous year, here we are, picking at it as if trying to peel back the sticker on a Dole banana.
Shhh… Christmas Letter Coming – Don’t tell Anna
My daughter Anna was born on December 15. As a third child, and the only daughter, many say she was spoiled. She’s one that says that, proudly.
One thing we did when she was small was to defer Christmas decorating until after her birthday. We didn’t want her birthday to get lost in the Christmas celebrating. Plus, we really liked the idea of shortening up that lead-up to Christmas. As our corporate consumerism driven economy drives us to begin the “Christmas Season†ever earlier each year, I like the idea of rebelling by refusing to buy into it. Sort of like the election seasons getting longer and longer – my lord how long until they actually overlap, and one election season starts before the election before that one is even held?
As Anna grew older, she took up that mantle, and made sure each year that nobody slipped up and started putting up lights or in any other way started to focus on Christmas until after her birthday. (Would you expect anything less of a princess?)
So this year, I’m putting a little Christmas letter up on my blog, but I can’t publish it until after Anna’s birthday. So, on 12/15, join me in wishing Anna a happy birthday, and keep an eye out for any Christmas letter soon after…
Shhh…
