Death of the Christmas Spirit?

I stumbled upon a facebook group about how Christmas this year didn't feel like Christmas. Curiosity got the better of me, so I checked it out (didn't join though). The messages posted on the group wall and the discussion board had a few variations (too much media coverage of trivial issues, got school grades back, got dumped by boyfriend/girlfriend, no Christmas tree, no snow), but by far, most of the reasons posted revolved around getting smaller/fewer presents.

In a group of 52,187 members, I found only one post that wasn't self-centered. One young woman (bless her heart) posted that it didn't feel like Christmas to her because her family was too busy to do "secret Santa" activities for other people. To the 52,186 other people in the group I say, "suck it up buttercup!" Get over yourselves! I've got news for you, your Christmas is always going to suck if you're worried about the size, shape, and quantity of the presents under the tree with your name on them.

So many people compare adult Christmas to childhood Christmas and come out depressed. I saw one comment from someone complaining about how easy it was to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. You poor thing, I guess we all have our burdens to bear. I'm sorry, but the anticipation isn't the magic of Christmas. It's the magic of presents. Happens at birthdays too, there isn't anything inherently special about it.

So, where is the magic then? It is carefully and masterfully hidden in our actions for others. Some of the most memorable Christmases for me are the ones where I really had to work to do something for someone else. Whether it was saving up my money as a kid to buy a plush seal “stuffy” for my sister, or spending hours trying to draw or make something special, I remember the giving far more than anything I received.

To put it another way, Christmas seems to be the only birthday celebration where all the guests expect to receive presents and give nothing to the one having the birthday. If you really want to experience the magic and spirit of Christmas, then find something to do for someone else. You will find that the effort invested on your part is proportional to the “magic” you feel in return.

In short, if you’re waiting for the Christmas magic to happen, then get used to disappointment. If it needs to snow before it feels like Christmas for you, then move north. When you get there and are freezing in a snow drift, you’ll realize there is no Christmas spirit in the snow. You’re the only one who can make you feel the Christmas spirit, so stop blaming it on everyone else. Chances are, you’re not looking in the right place anyway.

So next year, instead of creating a “Christmas 2010 didn’t feel like Christmas” group on facebook, maybe you could take the time to do something for someone around you. Otherwise, settle in for a long string of disappointing Christmases because your tree will never be perfect, you’ll never get the “right” (or enough) gifts, it won’t always snow, and the economy could always be worse.

Cool Christmas Story

I found this story while I was on my mission in Pittsburgh (more years ago that I care to admit):

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For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally's performance in one annual production of the Nativity Play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in the town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

Most often they'd find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway - not sulking, just hoping. He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who'd say, "Can't they stay? They're no bother."

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play's director, Miss Lambard, assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally's size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of crooks and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lambard had to make sure he did not wander onstage before his cue.

Then came the time when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the Innkeeper was there, waiting.

"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

"We seek lodging."

"Seek it elsewhere." Wally looked straight ahead, but spoke vigorously. "The inn is filled."

"Sir we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and we are very weary."

"There is no room in this inn for you." Wally looked properly stern.

"Please good innkeeper, this is my wife Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Now for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

"No! Be gone!" the prompter whispered from the wings.

"No!" Wally repeated automatically. "Be gone!"

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary, and Mary laid her head upon her husband's shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside the inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, and his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

"Don't go Joseph," Wally called out. "Bring Mary back." And Wallace Purling's face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room."

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were other- many, many others- who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants that they had ever seen.

Resume Tips - Part II

I got another resume submission today, and I was somewhat surprised one single resume could point out so many items I missed in my first post. Seriously, it was almost like this guy had taken it upon himself to highlight exactly how many things I had overlooked. So I tip my hat to him for his efforts and will pass on these gems to you in the hopes you can avoid these mistakes as well...

7. Spell your name correctly. It's your name, for crying out loud. If there's anything you should be able to spell, it should be your name. My five-year-old can consistently spell her name correctly, so I don't think it's too much to ask someone applying for a job to be able to correctly spell theirs. No word of a lie. He introduced himself in the cover letter as 'wiaam'. It was only because his email address had 'william' in it that I was able to decipher his name.

8. After you figure out how to spell your name, put it somewhere on your resume! On a scale from one to drooling on your shoes or falling out of bed, how hard is it? I'm guessing he omitted his name so as not to draw attention to the fact that he couldn't spell it. All things considered, it was probably a good move. Misspell it once, and you could possibly call it a typo. But twice and people are reaching for your safety helmet and booking you on the "special" bus to school.

9. Find the frikin' Shift button on your keyboard. I don't care if English is not your first language, you can still figure out how to use capital letters when you write. I counted two capitals between four combined pages of cover letter and resume.

10. Do NOT use 'text-speak' anywhere your prospective employer could read it. When I read "thank u for your time", I have to wonder how flaming lazy you are that you couldn't type out those two extra letters. I'm sorry, but if Koko the gorilla can learn and use sign language I don't feel it's asking too much to expect you to type out the whole word.

11. Buy a dictionary, or see if they have a rent-to-own option. Go to Walmart and put one on lay-away. Find a spell-checker somewhere. Anything, I'm begging you. "Alot" is not a word. "Allot" is a word, and it means to portion out or divide. "A lot" is two words and the opposite of "a little". My applicant claimed to be fluent in "English and Arebic". I'm guessing he meant Arabic and not aerobic. Learn the difference between there, they're, and their. Once you've mastered those, move on to your vs. you're.

He indicated a desire to be 'sucessful', was responsible for 'biling' and bill payments, and also made the weekly 'squedules'.

I honestly can't think of a suitable line of work for this guy without somehow insulting those of that profession. Seriously, where do you stick a guy who can't spell his own name? Even if he has his name embroidered on his shirt pocket, he'd stand in front of the closet all day wondering which shirt was his...

Just Call Me Scrooge

I don't know if I've mentioned this lately, but I HATE what gets passed off as Christmas music. In my book, it ranks with the likes of country, rap, heavy metal, and cats in the blender. I would rather listen to the musical stylings of Laurence Welk covering top 40 pop hits or a chimpanzee orchestra than to the vast majority of the nauseating Christmas drivel.

Before everyone runs to grab their torch and pitch fork, let me explain myself. There are Christmas songs I could happily hear all year long, like "O Holy Night", "Angels We Have Heard on High", "Silent Night", Handel's Messiah... They carry a special feeling and power that is not easily matched.

Contrast those with the current 'favorites'. I cannot for love or money figure out what "Winter Wonderland" or "Jingle Bells" has to do with Christmas. I guess it is just assumed that winter and snow are synonymous with Christmas. Those living in Southern Alberta know that a white Christmas is an exception rather than a rule. "Frosty the Snowman" has as much to do with Christmas as Bill Gates does with the iPod.

By far, the vast majority of these Christmas carols really irritate me. Why? Because it really frosts my hide that so many songs which don't even pretend to mention anything about Christmas have become so closely tied to it. To me, it is symptomatic of how badly Christmas is being "diluted" so as not to make any religious references. Heaven forbid that a holiday with such blatant Christian roots and origins be made to seem religious. It's a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but it seems we're not allowed to say that anymore.

Christmas used to be a time of "goodwill to men", not the commercial-crazed materialistic frenzy it is now. For example, the media was quick to point out that this year, unlike the previous years, no one was trampled to death during Black Friday sales. Really?! That's the new standard we're using?? Police were called in at around 2:30 AM to a Walmart in California (which was temporarily closed due to fighting between customers), a Toys R Us in Connecticut where customers tried to force their way in before the scheduled opening at midnight... but hey, no one was killed so we're still calling it a success.

Anyhow, back at the ranch... I know things aren't likely to improve any time soon. Society as a whole isn't likely going to refocus the "holiday season" on the birth in Bethlehem. All I can do is hold my own ground and hopefully help my children realize there is more to Christmas than reindeer, candy canes, and full-contact gift shopping.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)