There isnt one of us out there who isnt surprised by the fact that Christmas is one of the most pooh-poohed upon of all holidays - the over-commercialism of the retail world with folks going into debt just to afford gifts for their loved ones; the major organized religions of the world churning out their damnation-n-brimstone influenced insistence of honoring Christmas Day as the birthdate of Jesus Christ, when in reality it actually didnt happen until sometime between March 23 to March 27 on our calendar years; and, of course, the allegedly ridiculous concept that Santa Claus did indeed exist. Hey, if that's how you wanna look at an internationally recognized holiday such as Christmas, that's totally your choice. However, as both a child and as an adult who didnt always have the "normal moments" growing up like the majority of my peers had, it is and always has been my most favorite holiday of the entire year. And that's okay, we all are entitled to pick-n-choose those special holidays which mean the most to us for whatever myriad of reasons.
The phrase "...the most magical time of the year..." truly does put it all into a nutshell as for how I feel about Christmas. I cant always put my finger on it but it's that good-spirited feeling that permeates the air at this time of year. I believe most folks call it "the Christmas spirit" but whatever you choose to call it, it is real and it is tangible. It almost feels like an annual reassurance that implies "Hey, it's gonna be okay, everything is gonna be okay, so let's celebrate." Perhaps to some of my readers out there it does indeed come as a surprise that I do feel this way, especially with all the ups-n-downs I've had throughout my lifetime but hey, we all have those ups-n-downs and if any of us can grasp onto and hold that Christmas-like feeling close to ourselves even somewhat throughout the New Year then there certainly is nothing wrong with that. After all, isnt having an essentially positive, hopeful attitude towards life in general what it's all about it anyways? I think so. There is so much I do love about Christmas-time that I really dont know where to begin first. The childhood memories of that particular holiday are priceless. Even though Christmas has always been considered "a children's holiday" because of all the presents they open, for me that was just part of it, but not all of it. I remember the annual anticipation of watching those renowned Rankin & Bass animated programs such as "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" as well as the more adult-themed movies as a I got older such as Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story" starring little Peter Billingsley and one of my most favorite Christmas films of all time, "Christmas In Connecticut" (1944 or '45?)) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. I remember the smells of freshly baked Christmas cookies (when we were in Michigan for the holidays) my Mom and Grandma would make while us kids watched those shows and getting to sample the goodies during the commercials; decorating the Christmas tree every December 7th, come hell-or-high-water, and not just because I was raised in a military family but because we were taught from an early age to do so outta respect for those who didnt get the chance to celebrate Christmas in 1941, not so much as a moratorium but as a show of respect for human life; and sledding. Boy, every chance us kids got we'd go sledding at every public sledding hill no matter where we lived. The adults could do all the decorating and shopping they wanted to, but as long as we had our sledding time, well, the whole world seemed totally content during those times.
My most happiest childhood Christmas memories though were the simplest things that most kids my age never really appreciated, like spending time with my grandparents and my Aunt Elise. I remember one Christmas, when I was either 7 or 8, when we were in Michigan, my Aunt Elise asked me "Tell me, have you ever seen the Northern Lights?" and I told her "Oh that's justa Christmas story, that's not real" and she told me "C'mon, I'm gonna take you to see the Northern Lights." Naturally, at first I thought to myself "Oh no, I better tell Grandma that I think Aunt Elise is losing it" but as always, Aunt Elise proved me wrong. That night, which I believe was 2 nights before Christmas Eve, she and I drove out to one of the farmer's fields located a few miles away from my grandparent's house and we walked about 200 feet or so into the middle of the snow-n-ice covered field and she told me "Now, I want you to look as far North as you can, towards Canada and tell me what you see." Sure as shit, I did indeed see the Northern Lights! Or at least what sure as hell looked like them - they were a line of bright fluorescent-like lights in shades of blues, greens, yellows and pinks that danced and shimmered over the horizon and I'll never forget the look on my face that Aunt Elise described to me many years later of that magical night when we both saw them.
Nowadays most folks will tell you that you cant see the Northern Lights via the naked human eye but that's a loada crap. This happened back in 1972 or 1973 and I have no idea what the atmospheric conditions of this planet were back then but whatever I saw sure did look like the Northern Lights. On the ride back to my grandparents house that night Aunt Elise asked me what I thought those lights meant and I told her that behind them was suppose to be Santa's Workshop. She told me that I was absolutely right but that I also needed to know what exactly caused those lights to shine so brilliantly. The vendekom, or more commonly known as Santa's little helpers, were responsible for all those bright lights, which were caused by them running back-n-forth between Santa's workshop and his sleigh, making sure there were enough gifts for every single child in the entire world. Oh how I use to love those stories my Aunt Elise would tell me.
My other favorite childhood Christmas memory centered around my grandparents old radio from the post-war years, the ole' 1948 Kingston Radio, still resting within its dark cherrywood colored cabinet. Every Christmas visit to my grandparent's house would not have been complete without my Grandpa's favorite Christmas Eve ritual involving us kids - "C'mon, let's go find out where Santa's sleigh is right now." And like clockwork, every single year, I bullshit you not, that old radio would pick up radio stations from all the way over in Canada which would announce "This is so-n-so station from so-n-so in Ontario, Canada and at the moment, Santa's Sleigh has been sighted over this-or-that country and should be "Dominion-side" or "State-side" in (whichever hours and minutes were listed) " I dont remember the actual call letters to those radio stations in Ontario, Canada all those years ago but I'll never forget how excited my sisters and I would get when listening to those broadcasts, gazing up at the ancient yellow-glowing light of the radio-face and hearing the low-grade humming it would emit in the background. It's the little things like that which really did put the magic into Christmas for us kids.
Speaking of the radio, Christmas music is yet another one of the reasons I will always love this time of year, the tons of great holiday music! I've had all kinds of favorites over the years, so very many that I think it would be extremely difficult for me to pick a Top 10 List if I had to, though I can certainly give it a try. Both as a child and as an adult, the following is my main list of ultimate favorites...1) Happy Holidays - Bing Crosby...2) Christmas Candles - The Andrews Sisters......3).Jingle Bells - Ella Fitzgerald....4). Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt....5). The Christmas Song...Nat King Cole.....6). O Tannenbaum - Nat King Cole....7). Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee....8) Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes....9). I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - The Ronettes...10). All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey. Of course, there are tons more of favorite Christmas songs by such famed artists as Judy Garland, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra so in reality my list could stretch into the hundreds if not thousands! But my ultimate favorite Christmas song of all time? That would definitely have to be "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes. I kid you not, ever since I was 8 years old I have listened to that song over and over again, every Christmas season to the point where even sometimes I cant stand it myself! But, that's how much I love that song. Whether I am happy or even having a bout of the holiday blues, that one song alone has pulled me through some of my more bleaker Christmases, every single time, no matter what.
And Christmas lights, not just sitting back and having a cup of coffee or tea and watching the lights on the Christmas tree and chilling out, but even the Christmas lights that people decorate the outsides of their homes with, as well as their shrubbery and trees in their front yards, I just love the Christmas lights. No matter how simple or how elaborate, I truly enjoy each and every single Christmas light because they're not only very pretty to me, but each single one represents hope and new promise at Christmas-time and in the New Year too. I know, I know, that sounds extremely saccharin on my part, even a loada crap for that matter, but that's how I really feel. Lottsa folks drive by them and say things like "Gawd, whatta big electricity bill they'll have this month!" or "Damn, it must be nice to be able to afford to waste precious electricity like that!" but not me, I adore every single one of them. Right now I know some folks may be thinking "Uhm Spice? You need to get some help" but I don't care. Like every holiday out there it truly depends on what it means to you personally as an individual - and that's okay. It's perfectly okay.
Traditions, both old and new, are yet another thing I love about the Christmas season. In addition to decorating and lighting the Christmas tree every year on December 7th, I like the other annual traditions we had in my family. Not just going to Michigan to spend the holidays with my grandparents and other relatives but little things like baking the Christmas cookies 2 weeks before Christmas Eve as well as making extra so that we could enjoy them before and after the holiday; and, opening some of our gifts on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day, always followed by one of those giant holiday dinners at Grandma's house. As mushy as it may sound, it's those memories that do indeed keep one warm and feeling well-loved all year long. They are just something you never ever forget, no matter how old you get, no matter where you go in life, you always keep those memories closest.
New traditions are important too. In fact, one of the best Christmases I've ever had was in 1991 when I celebrated it with my Aunt and Uncle when they were living in San Jose, California. My Uncle had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so Christmas Eve my Aunt and I had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf and went window-shopping and it was so much fun! Just walking all over the place, talking and laughing. I loved it. Then on Christmas Day we packed a picnic lunch, went to Golden Gate State Park and hung out, followed by walking along the shorelines near the South Bridge areas, again, just talking and laughing. That was also the year when her and my Uncle got me a gift which I will never forget - a 10-pound milk chocolate bar from the Ghiradelli chocolate factory! I will never forget that for as long as I live - wow! She told me that every year, on a certain day atta certain time, Ghiradelli would open it's doors and make them available to the public. I dont know if they even do that anymore out there but for a true chocolate connoisseur such as myself, it really did make one feel like they were let loose in a giant candy store! It is true what they say about Christmas and every major holiday of the world - it truly is what you make it and how you look at it.
So those are the reasons why I love the Christmas holiday. I realize that not everyone shares the same viewpoint as I do regarding this particular holiday but that's the neat thing about Christmas and any of the other major holidays - you are entitled to feel about them whichever way you damn well please. I know right now, even in my own life, there is great uncertainty regarding certain areas of my life and that America itself as well as alotta the rest of the world is having hard times, but that's one thing that Christmas-time will always represent to me - a time of great Hope. I suppose in some ways that may even come across as somewhat of a child-like rationale on my part but I know better, I know that when we refuse to dream, that's when we truly grow old. Now I dont know about the rest of you but age has done enough to me as it is, so I sure as hell am not gonna allow it to erode my spirit. Neither should any of you. Regardless of what your plans are for this holiday season, I wish everyone a safe & Happy Holiday season filled with much happiness and much good health. Thank you for reading.
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