The Amazing, Spectacular, Superior Mind Of Me.: My Christmas Story

This blog post is dedicated to my Mother and Nate Paro. The two biggest fans of Christmas I know.

My First Christmas

Hello and Merry Christmas to everyone reading this. It's been a while since my last post, but that's mostly because Christmas was coming, and things have been busy. That said I couldn't let the season go by without adding my thoughts on this, my second favorite time of the year. This blog may seem a bitch of a jumble, A hodge podge, a mishmash, but then again that's what Christmas is to me.

Christmas is hard not to like although heaven knows some people try awfully hard to hate it. I'm not even talking about the atheists and whatnot. No, I mean the everyday Grinch's who love to ramble on about how commercial it is. How it's just about buying presents, etc. To that I say Bah Humbug! Much like any other holiday, you get out of it what you put into it.

Next Generation Christmas Fan

That being said, this post isn't about anyone elses Christmas. It's about mine. Paul's rules of Christmas as it were.

#1 Real Trees only. Fake trees are fine for other people but not for me.
#2 Colored lights only. That's not to say that white lights don't have their place. They do. That's not to say they aren't pretty. They are. I think it often boils down to what you grew up with. For me, bulbs must be colorful and size C6 or above if they're going on my tree.
#3 Tradition. Tradition. Tradition. In fact it's the one time of year where I'm a slave to traditions! I HAVE to watch the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol right before I go to bed on Christmas Eve. I like to have sausage patties and Quiche for breakfast Christmas morning. Why? I don't know. That's just what Mom did.

Back In The Day

Mom. If anyone I know knows how to keep Christmas in their heart it's my Mom. She's a nut for it. As a child she taught me all about Christmas. We weren't a religious family, but the nativity was still important. In fact that could be the foundation for my own thoughts of religion. It's not necessarily for me, but I respect it and defend it when under attack.

Mom loved setting up the decorations. The Nativity. The village. The tree. Everything else. We walked around the neighborhood and looked at the lights. We watched the specials on tv. We got terribly depressed as soon as it was over. People often think that when you're a kid, Christmas is all about getting gifts. As you grow older it (hopefully) becomes all about giving. In our house getting and giving was fun, but it was really all about Christmas itself. The decor. The traditions. The music!

My Favorite Decoration!

Speaking of music, when it comes to Christmas music, Bing Crosby will always be the king of Christmas in my mind. The White Christmas album has no equal. From holiday standards like White Christmas to quirky favorites like Christmas in Killarney, Bing is King. Some of my favorite Christmas songs are Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives. Jingle Bells by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day and Good King Wenceslaus. I have little interest in the countless pop and country remakes of classic tunes that clog the radio stations now.

Back in the old days before VHS, you got your TV guide and went through it to see when the specials were on. When A Charlie Brown Christmas was on you HAD to watch it or else you wouldn't have a chance again until the following year. VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming services have spoiled us in that now the kids can watch any time. Back then it was a family event.

My favorite Christmas movies are A Christmas Story, The George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and It's A Wonderful Life.

My favorite Christmas specials are A Year Without A Santa Claus, "The Night Of The Meek" episode of Twilight Zone. The "Santa 85" episode of Amazing Stories. Christmas Eve On Sesame Street. How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Also the Pinky And The Brain Christmas Special. I sure wish that last one would would be released on DVD.

Also back in the old days you got that Sears Christmas Catalog in the mail and tirelessly flipped through it, dog-earing pages with the new toys you so desperately wanted. I can still smell that catalog smell and it makes me nostalgic for my youth. Big splashy displays of Transformers, Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Strawberry Shortcake and Cabbage Patch Kids among so many less remembered toys would fill page after page.

How does the modern Christmas hold up to the one of my youth? In some ways it does just fine. Most of the products and characters that made my Christmas' magical are still around and doing fine. The failing marks come from the retailers and the customers who let them stomp the joy out of December 25th. Everything from black friday starting on Thanksgiving to stores staying open ever later on Christmas eve, the chasing of the almighty dollar is making it harder and harder to spend the important times with family.

What it's all about these days.

The grocery store I work for now stays open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. I recently remembered a quote from Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. In it, Scrooge's nephew Fred comes to his uncle's business to invite him to Christmas dinner. Scrooge states, "And be good enough to leave me alone during business hours"
Fred replies, "Seven O' Clock on Christmas Eve? That's not business hours, that's drudgery for the sake of it, and an insult to all men of goodwill".
Hear, hear Fred. Have we gotten to the point that in the pursuit of just a few sales here and there that we're willing to come within an hour of Ebenezer Scrooge's terrible holiday practices? Shameful.

Making The Best Out Of Working Christmas Eve

Still, Christmas endures. If you're religious it's religious. If you're not it's about the season of giving. It's about family, be it the one you were born into, or the one you choose for yourself. It's about selfless giving and love. We could all use a bit more of that.