Things i Would Not Say - Part Deux

Earlier, I had posted three things (out of five) that I believe I would not be caught saying. I continue to struggle with the assignment, as one never knows when, in the right context, out those very words may come. But in the spirit of the season, let's add a fourth item to the list, to wit:

4. Bah, Humbug!

In point of fact, I have said these words, but only in some mocking tone. I always take some time to get into the "Christmas spirit". There are certain motivators that enable me to reach holiday cheerfulness, and enough of them have to conspire to allow me to reach the tipping point. Those motivators include, in no particular order: The occasional (as opposed to 24/7) nice (as opposed to references to one's ancestors being trodden by large animals) Christmas song on the radio. A little snow. Christmas decorations and lights (as opposed to large, inflated Frosty the Snowmen - apologies if any of you have such large behemoths - scary to small children, by the way - in your front yard). People who pass you on the street exhibiting signs of good cheer, such as genuine smiles, unexpected greetings, offering large sums of money for no apparent reason, etc. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. Peace that supasseth all understanding. And I forgot to mention: pot luck dinners, specially baked cookies, and other such confections, to be eaten without guilt during the season that extends from Thanksgiving to roughly January 15.

Anyhow, there is always a bit of the "bah" and the "humbug" (but not expressed verbally) until I reach that point of falling into holiday cheer. But that's back around Halloween when anyone with any shred of dignity is grumbling righteously about the absurdity of stores advertising Christmas sales while other holidays are yet to be celebrated before December 25.

But once I am in the Yule Zone, there's no turning back. Not even the marathon shopping blitz with my wife can wear me down and remove that inner glow of "fa la la", which I will cling to with every fiber of my being, even as the 47th item of apparel is returned to the rack because it just will not do for Aunt Eunice. I will bend, but I will not break. This is, after all, an especially good time of year. Some say it's the most wonderful time. Then they typically ring a bell or make a "ding dong" sound.

The point is this: Even in this rather rough environment, where in our northern Ohio newspaper, layoffs are becoming the common staple of the front page, day after day, there is time for blessing counting, and for (in my own case) an annual attempt to strip back the 21st century details and deadlines that drive us all nuts the rest of the year. There's a need for some simplicity for just a couple of weeks, maybe, where the career and family goals and objectives we strive for can be deleted or at least minimized in order to concentrate on getting together, family and friends, and creating memories and images that don't need any digital photography to be indelibly etched in the hard drives of our heads.

OK - I'm done now. Now I need to think of one more to complete the list.