Hugs and Handshakes Help Find The Christmas Spirit

I don’t know what defines “by popular demand” but in this case it was one person saying “you should do that thing you did last year about needing Christmas.”  And so I oblige.

Stealing part of the lyrics from a very popular song heard often on 92.7 WOBM this time of year, “haul out the holly, put up the tree before my spirit falls again, for we need a little Christmas right this very minute.”

I will not apologize for saying we have never needed the Christmas spirit more than right this very minute and if that offends some in these politically correct times, well tough.  I’m not endorsing the religious part of the holiday although for many that is clearly the priority which is fine and no different than those who feel the same about Hanukkah and other multicultural events.

What makes the Christmas season so special is just that. It’s a season that is not just celebrated on December 25^th but rather for weeks leading up to that.  We are living in a world in which FEAR has become a very ugly four-letter word and seems to follow us everywhere.   We are reminded on an almost daily basis that there really is no guaranteed safe place and are now conditioned to expect bad news with regularity.

What we really need right now is a little Christmas.  I deplore the fact that the majority have rolled over and given in to the minority and we can’t hang signs that say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” without worrying about somebody being offended.

I remember someone once telling me that the problem is simple. For non-Christians the words “Merry Christmas” have no meaning.  I don’t buy that for a second. Do you think every house decorated with lights, candles and even blow-ups on the lawn belongs to a practicing Christian?  There are many with no real religious beliefs who love Christmas just as much as those who go to church every Sunday.

It is the Christmas SPIRIT that we can all celebrate and embrace. A time for hugs and handshakes when even for a brief period we can try and put our troubles aside and believe things will get better.  As the song says, “for I’ve grown a little leaner, grown a little colder, grown a little sadder, grown a little older.  And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder…I need a little Christmas now.”