Does anybody else feel as I do about the holidays? Not overwhelming joy, not fear and loathing, not benign acceptance - just a general unease. Dickens referred to Christmas as "a fine excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th of December." On that point I am in agreement. But only to a point. Charity and "good works" can be practiced on that date, but it can also be observed on the other 364 days of the year as well. No, what I'm referring to is the crass commercialism that attempts to tell us that it's our right, nay our duty to overextend ourselves in order to buy gifts for a friend or loved one. Well Folks, I'm here to tell you that that just ain't so.
Here's an interesting tidbit, the real St. Nicholas lived in the fourth century, and he was the archbishop of Myra in Lycia (which is now Turkey). There are all kinds of stories about him, but one of the most famous is that there was a poor man who could not afford a dowry for his three daughters, which meant they would have to be abandoned to prostitution. St. Nicholas didn't want to humiliate the man by giving him charity in public, so he left purses of gold in the man's house at night — according to one version of the story, he dropped them down the chimney, and in another, one of the daughters had set out her stockings to dry and the gold was put in them. And so St. Nicholas, the bringer of anonymous gifts, inspired Jolly Old St. Nick, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus.
So, during this season, consider performing some simple act of kindness for a friend or relative. If you are in a position to do so, bring food and laughter to someone who is homebound, or consider donating to a local food bank. At the least, simply choose to be kind to a stranger in need.
The universe will thank ya for it!
BTW - I'm oficially sick of Christmas music.
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