I was in a store check-out line a couple of days ago, and
the cashier was talking to a customer whom she obviously knew. The store worker said, “Well, are you ready
for the holidays?” The shopper’s reply
was, “Ready for them to be over!”
Well, Mister Scrooge, to you I say, “Bah! Humbug!”
Oh, I get it, at least in part. First off, the shopper may have been a true
pagan, to whom Christmas and its surrounding observances have no significance
at all. To some of these folks, Advent
is just so much noise.
To others, no matter what their religious orientation, this
season is a time of a lot of pressure.
They feel an obligation to purchase gifts, to clean, cook and entertain family. The crowds in stores where they only want to
buy a loaf of bread or light bulb frustrate them. The holidays are a major disruption. People view them as a headache.
And for some, these are days of great sorrow. Occasions that used to be full of family
gatherings and special time spent with significant others have eroded into some
of the loneliest moments of the year.
And especially for those who are facing the season without certain loved
ones for the first time, these days can be devastating.
So, part of what I would say to anyone in this time
of year is, “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do! Don’t let households or family or tradition
force you into any activity that you don’t want to undertake. It is not your job to explain or interpret or
justify to anyone how you feel and what your desires might be.” Do they call you “Scrooge?” Let them.
Do they say, “You have no seasonal spirit?” So what?
Be you. Don’t
complain. Don’t explain. Be you.
Now, me, I’m doing it all: gifts and carols and crowded
shopping and baking and family gatherings – and church – and I am enjoying
every single moment of it. Don’t try to
hurry me through. I am relishing
every moment of it. And it’ll be past all too soon.
God bless us, every one!
