A Gringo's First Christmas in Puerto Rico...

When I was in Puerto Rico working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (93-97), I learned about and participated in a custom called "Parranda".  It's a great Cristmas custom for the strong of heart.  A group of people get together to sing and entertain selected friends by knocking on their doors and performing, then invite the "victims" to go along for the ride.  That is, after eating and drinking whatever the first house has to share.

Many people join in and go along.  The group tends to grow throughout the night and keeps going from house to house until the wee hours of the morning.  (I'm talking sunrise...)  As the members of the group keep drinking and the crowd grows, the party gets more and more raucous.  But it's all in fun.  Whoever the last person is on the list is supposed to make Asopao, a traditional chicken and rice soup that is supposed to sober everyone up for the drive home.  It's a great finish to the long night and I enjoyed it so much I participated three out of four years.

I took the time to write down my experiences and will share them over the next week or so.  I hope you enjoy them.  And to my friends and co-workers in Puerto Rico...  Feliz Navidad a todos.

Oh - and Chuck - this one's for you because you were with me!

A Gringo's First Christmas at MDC Guaynabo               

T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house

everyone was tired, including the mouse.

I'd finished putting the toys all together,

sweating all over in the hot, humid weather.

The children were nestled and snug in their beds,

as visions of boogie boards danced in their heads.

And I layed on the bed in my pillow so deep,

settling down for a nice, long sleep.

When out on the street there arose such a clatter,

I jumped from the bed to see what was the matter.

I ran toward the window, tripped over the rug,

and landed on my face with a thud.

The moon shining down on that dark, dreary night

about halfway made up for the broken street light.

And I thought to myself as I rubbed my sore head

"Who's the idiot who put that rug by the bed?"

I looked out the window at the street below

and wondered what Christmas was like without snow.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

but Sicci Rodriguez, drinking a beer.

He had his quatro tucked under his arm

and smiled at me with his usual charm.

"Feliz Navidad!  Merry Christmas!" he said.

And suddenly I wanted to get back in bed.

I knew that "Parranda" had come to my house

and everyone would probably be soused.

Eight or nine friends got out of two cars,

each looking as if they'd come from a bar.

There was Ruben Cuadrado, dressed to a T,

complaining he really needed to pee.

Laborde, Segarra, Santana and more,

and they were all headed straight for my door.

They entered the house, playing the güiro,

(Ruben was checking himself in the mirror)

dancing and laughing and smelling like rum,

well on their way to a full night of fun.

The polite thing to do was offer them food

but I knew that I had nothing good.

I went to the kitchen and looked in the cupboard,

feeling a bit like Old Mother Hubbard.

I got out some cheese and cut it in pieces,

and put it on a tray with some Reese's.

I pulled some bologna out of the 'fridge,

quickly cutting the green stuff off of the edge.

Some slices of bread I put 'round the edges

and garnished it all with tomato wedges.

I got out the last of my Bacardi,

and a jar of cañita I'd been saving for me.

A gallon of fruit punch to use as a mixer,

(I was hoping they were already plastered.)

I carried everything out to the table

and yelled "Come and get it, while you're all able!"

They kept right on singing as they moved toward the food

and Ruben said "Hey - this looks pretty good".

As the singing went on I began to have fun.

Then someone said "It's time to move on.

Get your clothes on and get ready to ride.

You're the only one sober and you have to drive."

I knew that I was supposed to go with them

and party all night in the oldest of custom.

So I said "What the hell" and took one for the road

thinking "Maybe I can get drunk while we go".

We went house to house, with the crowd growing larger.

(Driving my car was getting much harder.)

We sang and we laughed and we drank lots of rum,

But I realized I was having a lot of fun.

I was included in Puerto Rico tradition

And enjoyed it more than a good day of fishing.

At the last house we ate Asopao.

And I couldn't help thinking "This is great chow!".

The party was still going strong at the end,

even though a few people were sleeping by then.

The music had changed to the stereo

with occasional tunes from Sicci's quatro.

When daylight came it was time to go home.

We'd eaten the food and drank all the rum.

Poor Sally was left to clean up the mess

left over from thirty uninvited guests.

This Christmas tradition was sure lots of fun

I just hope next year we can start in my home.

                       G. Clark

The Fine Line Between Feeling Respected And Feeling Old...

Some of you know that just about four years ago my nephews (Aaron and Jim) invited me to play disc golf with them.  It was Christmas Day, 2008, and I was spending Christmas with my sister's family in Columbus, Ohio.  Apparently it was tradition for Aaron and Jim to go out to the disc golf course after the Christmas Day feast, regardless of the weather, and play a round of disc golf.  For those of you who don't know what that is - some people call it Frisbee golf.  You play it like regular golf except that instead of a ball and clubs you throw a smaller, modified and more aerodynamic disc, similar to a Frisbee except that it's faster and flies much farther.  (The longest recorded throw of a golf disc that I know of is 820 feet - which is just under 1/6 of a mile.)

The object of the game is to fly the disc from the tee to the basket (used instead of a green and cup) in the least amount of throws or strokes.  Many courses have par 3, par 4 and even par 5 holes and there is now a professional disc golf association.  Pro players can make up to a whopping $15,000 a year....!

Anyway, I played with them that day with the temperature in the mid 20s and about three inches of snow on the ground.  I went out expecting it to suck and they took me expecting to have a good laugh.  What they didn't realize is that I grew up in the age of Frisbees.  The first professional model hit the market in 1964 but they started getting really popular in the early 70s.  Everyone in my neighborhood had one and we would play in the street.  So when I threw my first tee shot that day, both Aaron and Jim were surprised that I actually seemed to know what I was doing.  And much to my surprise, by the time we finished playing that day I was hooked.  I enjoyed it.  It's great exercise, does take some skill (to be any good) and it's mostly free.  You have to invest in the discs themselves, (which can cost up to $25 apiece, but most courses are free to play.  There are a few that charge and some ask for donations.

By mid-summer I began winning games against them on a regular basis, much to their disheartenment.  Of course, to be fair, they both had full time jobs and I was retired and only working part-time a couple days a week, which left me a lot of free time to go out and practice on my own.  So on the weekends we'd get together and suddenly I started beating them at their own game, literally.  Not every game but enough to make them say "Why did we teach him this game?"  And being very competitive between ourselves, we enjoyed trash talking each other as much as playing the game itself!

But this post isn't about disc golf itself.  It's more about the day I had yesterday at a disc golf course here in Texas.  Arden asked me to take her to a beading circle.  In her very limited spare time, she hand makes jewelry and belongs to a beading club.  They meet for an afternoon of beading and conversation every second Sunday of the month and spend from noon until 5 o'clock working and having fun.  She doesn't get to go each month so she really wanted to go yesterday.  She suggested that I drop her off and go down a few more miles from her location to a disc golf course that I'd been talking about but hadn't played yet.  I thought that was a great idea - I had five hours to kill and could get in a game, get some exercise, then hit a Starbuck's or Panera Bread and get my computer out to pass the rest of the time.

After church, which yesterday consisted of the "Singing Christmas Tree", we loaded up the things we needed and headed out.  Her meeting was about 30 miles from the house, in Arlington.  The disc golf course was about 10 miles further.  So I got her settled in the store where they had their get-together and I headed on down the road to find the park where the course is.  It turned out to be fairly easy.  It was actually a state park and there were two 18 hole courses within the park.  It wasn't crowded at all so I was able to get started right away.  I played the first six holes and caught up with a young couple who'd been playing in front of me.  They were sitting on a bench on the number 7 tee waiting for some friends.  Apparently they were warming up for their friends because the #7 tee was right by the parking lot where they could join their friends when they arrived.  As is custom in all forms of golf, they allowed me to play through.  His exact words were "You can play through, Sir.  We're waiting for someone."

I thought him very polite and thanked him, then asked him if there really was a second 18 hole course.  He responded "Oh, yes, Sir.  You follow that path around to the left and the first tee is up about halfway across the field on the left."  I thanked him again.  He said "You're welcome, Sir." 

I took my next shot and it was one of my better ones for the day.  From behind me I heard "That's the way to do it, Sir."  OK, the Sir thing was getting old.  Maybe this kid was just raised by proper Texas parents and learned to say Ma'am and Sir at a young age.  He was being very respectful to me but making me feel a little old by that time.

I moved on and eventually caught up with another threesome on hole #14.  I completed #13 and walked up on them on the next tee.  They had just finished their shots but since I was alone they again allowed me to play through.  "You can go ahead and play through, Sir" said one of the young men.  There it was again.  "Sir."  These guys were between 25 and 35 and I didn't FEEL like I was that much older than they were.  I threw my tee shot and thanked them for allowing me to play through.  "You're welcome" one of them said.  "Have a good one, Sir."

By this time I was wondering if my hair had turned  more gray overnight or if I looked like I needed a wheelchair.  I thought I looked pretty good out there.  No electric cart, no one carrying my disc bag for me....

I finished up the last hole on the first course and stopped at the van for some water and to sit for a minute.  These courses are over a mile long and wind through the woods, up and down hills.  So I took about a five minute break and headed to the second course.  I still had three hours to kill and figured I might as well check out the other one.  I was alone on the tee and could see no one in front of me at all.  I threw my first tee shot and it was a beauty - the disc rode the wind for almost 300 feet.  That always make one feel good.  When you throw a disc and it carries on the wind just right and sails 300+ feet down the fairway it just feels good.  That is, until some young kid throws one that beats your throw by at least 100 feet.

I had the first three holes to myself, then caught up with a foursome that I hadn't seen because the course cut through the woods.  They told  me I could go ahead and none of them called me "Sir."  I was feeling better already.

I played that hole and then had to wait for another foursome to finish the next one.  I caught up with them on the next tee.  It was the couple I had seen earlier and their two friends.  The young man I had talked to earlier said "So you found the second course, I see."  He didn't call me "Sir."  I appreciated him for that.  They had already made their tee shots and were getting ready to walk away.  We chatted for a couple of seconds and he said "Why don't you go ahead and play this hole out with us then you can go ahead of us on the next tee."  So  I did.

I threw my tee shot and it turned out pretty decent.  We started walking ahead, still talking about the game and the different courses we've played.  One of the guys threw a second shot and it went in the same vicinity as my first one.  When we got up to it, his disc was actually laying on top of mine.  The second friend pointed and said "Look at that.  You're on top of him."  I looked at him, looked at the owner of the second disc and said "And we don't even know each other!"  Everyone laughed and we finished the hole.  I thanked them for letting me play through and wished them a good afternoon.  One of them, probably that nice young man I had met first, said "You too, Sir."  AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

I caught up with one more group, again on hole number 14.  There were six total and most of them were in their 40s.  They also let me play through and none of them called me "Sir."  It's a good thing because I was starting to feel a little like Oddjob in the old James Bond movie and I had a bag full of "hats".   I finished without incident.  The six guys were very helpful in guiding me toward the end of the course and telling me about a few other courses I should try.  When we parted I thanked them and wished them a good day.  They wished me the same.  No patronizing, no making me feel old.  It was refreshing.

I don't mind getting older, I suppose.  Oh, sure - there are days when I feel older but often, aside from a knee that's been bad since my 20s and a bit of arthritis in my shoulder, I feel pretty good.  My mind still  feels young and some people say I sometimes act immature.  Is that the same thing?

Being called "Sir" six times in one afternoon by at least three different young men made me feel a bit older than I wanted to.  However, I could look at those boys collectively and know that most of them will never have the experiences in life that I've had.  So that makes up for it a bit.  There are things I would change in my life if I could, but not many.  So if the life I've had and the years I've lived means youngsters are going to call me "Sir", I guess I can live with it.

Courage To Stand Up For Your Beliefs

I watched "Last Ounce of Courage" yesterday with  Arden.  It was everything I expected it to be and more.  The  message of Christmas and its true meaning, family and love were awesome, particularly in this day and time, when Christmas and Christianity seem to be coming under attack on a regular basis.   And the strong theme of standing up for what you believe in regardless of how difficult it is, is a powerful message.

After the movie I wanted to see where it was filmed.  There were some beautiful scenes in the movie with mountains in the background.  As I was watching the credits I began listening to the words of the closing song.  The song, I discovered, is called "This Is Freedom", by Justin Unger.  I enjoyed the lyrics to the point that I thought I'd share them here. 

This Is Freedom

The red is for the blood that flows, in places we've forgotten                                                                    The white resembles innocence, in some ways we've been lost in

The blue it stands for vigilance and holding fast to righteousness -  or have we lost our way?
The stars are for the memory, the glory and the victory where proudly we can say
Oh, this is freedom
This is freedom

Where strength and confidence collide, along the straight and narrow
When peace is found in sacrifice, by patriots and heroes
Where grace abounds and evil dies, truth resounds above the lies,
It's only found one way and here we are today
This is freedom
Freedom

This rock we stand upon,
One nation under God,
This truth we can't ignore
This is freedom

A home that speaks of liberty, beyond our institutions
If this is a reality, then where are the solutions?
A place that we can stand and sing, the worship of our risen king without regret or shame
The hope of life eternally, we hold a light for all to see without a guilt or blame
It's what we claim, oh
This is freedom
This is freedom
This is freedom, this is freedom

Even though the fight is long, the enemy may wound us
The stripes are for the rays of hope, that never cease to lead us
Guide us home, this is freedom

Great movie.  Great song.  I recommend both.

The Federal Government Still Calls It Christmas...

While looking at the scheduled Federal holidays for this year and next I noticed something interesting.  First of all, I have thought that the February holiday was now called "Presidents' Day" in honor of the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  What I learned is that the official title for the holiday is still "George Washington's Birthday".  I must say I was a bit surprised since I worked for the Federal government for 30 years and have called it Presidents' Day for most of my adult life. 

The other thing I found interesting was that the holiday in December - you know the one I'm talking about - that holiday that causes so much turmoil in the United States because some people (a very small majority) take offense to the fact that it's a Christian religious holiday - is actually and officially called "Christmas" on the list of Federal holidays.  I find it even more interesting that it hasn't been changed yet.  I'm sure many attempts have been made to do just that but the 2013 Federal Holiday Schedule is posted below.  As you can see - as of now it's still listed as "Christmas" next year.

Day                                         Date                                        Holiday

Tuesday                                 January 1                               New Year's Day

Monday                                 January 21                             Martin Luther King's Birthday

Monday                                  February 18                          George Washington's Birthday

Monday                                  May 27                                   Memorial Day 
      
Thursday                               July 4                                      Independence Day

Monday                                  September 2                          Labor Day

Monday                                  October 14                             Columbus Day

Monday                                  November 11                         Veterans' Day

Thursday                               November 28                         Thanksgiving Day

Wednesday                           December 25                         Christmas Day


My point is that with all the turmoil about saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", with Christmas plays being cancelled because of complaints, and with Christian decorations being banned and removed from public places, to date our Federal government not only recognizes Christmas as a holiday but by not changing the title of it, it still is a religious holiday.  Regardless of the commercialization of it and the attempted destruction of it by atheists and others, the actual holiday is still called Christmas by our government, which makes it perfectly reasonable to wish people "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." 

I find the intolerance of the  Christian Christmas holiday laughable and sad at the same time.  It seems non-believers are somewhat thin-skinned.  I have never been offended if a Jewish person wishes me a "Happy Hanukkah" or if I am wished a "Happy Kwanza" by someone who follows those teachings, or by any other person wishing me well on a holiday they celebrate.  I've always believed they are simply attempting to share the happiness of their season/holiday with me.  Why would I be offended by that?  I doubt I'd be offended by an atheist wishing me well on one of their holidays either except they don't have any.  As far as I know they don't have any special days for their own beliefs and since the word "holiday" comes from the root word "holy", it stands to reason they wouldn't call it that anyway.  However, I have never met an atheist who doesn't celebrate the Christmas season (and other holidays) and/or take the allotted time off from work for them as allowed, even if they don't call it "Christmas".  They may be out there but I've never met one.

The bottom line for me is this...  I am not offended if you choose not to celebrate Christmas as the birth of our Lord and Savior.  It's really up to you whether or not you believe that or whether or not you even acknowledge He exists.  But you should understand this - when I wish you a Merry Christmas I'm wishing you the same joy and happiness that I feel during the Christmas season.  My joy comes from knowing and believing in Jesus Christ - his birth, his life, and his sacrificial death for me.  You don't have to be afraid of that joy.  It' possible that it's contagious but I promise it won't hurt you.  And you don't always have to fear things you don't understand.  True Christians are harmless.  Oh, they may try to change your beliefs given the chance, but that won't hurt you either.  In fact, it could very well save your life!

A very Merry Christmas to all. 

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown

In Little Rock, Arkansas, this week, a church cancelled a performance of the popular "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown" due to pressure from an atheist group that calls itself the "Arkansas Society of Freethinkers".  Apparently, a local elementary school had scheduled a voluntary field trip to see the production at the church and the mother of one student, who was allowing her daughter to attend, complained to the "Freethinkers" about the school taking children to see a play with Christian themes.  The woman claims she was letting her daughter attend the "voluntary" field trip because she didn't want her daughter to be singled out.

Anyway, upon receiving the complaints, the school principal took a bold stance and said she was not going to cancel the field trip but rather, was going to allow those students who wished to attend to go anyway.  Sadly, the pastor,  not wishing to cause controversy for the  school, cancelled the scheduled show and will reschedule it for a Saturday for those students and teachers wishing to attend.  That way it will have nothing to do with the school itself.

There are several things I find disturbing about this.  First of all, the field trip was voluntary and no child was required to attend.  If teachers were required to attend and one objected, that teacher could  have made his/her objections known to the principal  and  I'm  sure they would have been excused from attending.  But that didn't happen.  Instead, one mother of one child, who was going to allow the child to attend anyway - out of some  warped sense of fear, I guess - cancelled the field trip for everyone with her complaint.  So once again, one complaint by a non-believer stops a group of people from voluntarily exercising their freedom of religion.

While I somewhat understand the church pastor not wanting to cause a controversy, I also disagree with his decision.  The field trip was voluntary for all and there was no requirement for anyone to attend against their wishes.  Therefore, the "Freethinkers" should have had no reasonable objection.  But it seems most objections made by atheists aren't necessarily reasonable.  They object to something  that does not hurt them in any way just because they can.

So why is it that Christians are persecuted and singled out yet the atheists aren't complaining about something that to me seems an even greater violation of the Establishment Clause.? Several state universities  in the country, such as the University of Michigan and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., have installed foot baths for Muslim students.  Is this not a direct violation of the separation of church and state?  If a state university erected a cross on campus (anywhere but in a chapel),  atheists would be up in arms about it and force its removal.  So where are the atheists when it comes to accommodating Muslims?

Christmas is a Christian holiday.  Granted, it's been  commercialized over the years but even many atheists celebrate the holiday, even though they often refuse to use the word "Christmas".  It's sad that in today's society, where everyone is so anxious to make everyone happy and not offend anyone, that Christians are being subjected to more and more criticism and discrimination.  When one person can stop a show, as in Arkansas, because they don't want their  child exposed to a Christian message, even though attendance was completely voluntary...  there's something definitely wrong.

Merry Christmas to all.

A Different Kind Of Christmas Story...

An old  Air Force buddy of mine, Mr. Frank Corbett, posted a story this morning of his search for a Nativity scene for his front yard.  He had already put up the traditional lights but being a Christian man, he wanted something that signified the real meaning of Christmas.  Sadly, (but not so amazingly) he couldn't find one.  I'll let him tell the story.  Thank you, Frank, for sharing this with us....


MERRY CHRISTMAS…? - While I do wish you all a Merry Christmas, I have to share with you my Christmas tale, which left me looking upon this season with a weathered eye…

It was nice to be putting up the lights outside wearing only a shirt this year! The temperature was like spring, the light cords were still flexible, and I wasn’t in a foot of mud! I stood back and looked at my handywork, and suddenly felt the need to upgrade the display. For years, I have wanted to put a manger scene on the lawn, as a way of remembering what the word “Christmas” is all about. No, not some giant, industrial sized, mega watt, motorized mammoth...just a simple, smaller, more humble display that would be nice to look at, and easy to store for 11 months of the year...yeah, this year I’m gonna do it!

Well, yesterday when my chore list was done, I headed for the stores. First, I headed for the local clearance chain, and after several minutes roaming the aisles and not finding what I was looking for, I found a clerk who told me that they didn’t have any, and suggested I try the ‘big box’ stores...so I moved on.

I arrived at the most widely known of those ‘big box’ stores, and was just amazed at the colors and lights! It was a magnificent display. Greens and red, gold and silver, flickering lights and shimmering displays, while music played in the backround. What an amazing display! There wasn’t a corner of the store that wasn’t done up for the season! Time to start my quest...aisle by aisle!

Aisle 1 was loaded with those giant lawn and roof inflatable's...giant parachute things with lights and even motors to move things around. Amazing! Animated balloons! They had Santa going in and out of the chimney, Rudolph and snowmen, Santa in his sleigh, Santa waving, even Santa in an outhouse...I guess there’s Christmas everywhere...even an 8 foot tall sock monkey with a Santa Claus hat...but no manger here...moving on.

Aisle 2 was all the wire and light statues you could imagine. They had reindeer, snowmen, gingerbread men, Santa, Santa waving, Santa in his sleigh, Santa in a chimney, carriages and lamp posts, lollypops and candy canes, all in wire, covered in lights. No manger here...moving on…

Aisle 3. Every colorful plastic blow molded statue every thought of...finally, it must be here! Let’s see...Santa, Santa sitting, Santa standing, Santa in his sleigh, African American Santa, Santa sleeping, Santa reading his list, Santa in a chimney...don’t see that every day...lamp posts, carolers, ginger bread men, penguins, polar bears, candy canes, igloos, elves and even Santa Teddy...no manger but plenty of aisles to go!

Aisle 4...gee...everything I just saw in the previous 3 aisles, but all of these are Disney characters. Mickey singing at a lamp post, Duck McScrooge, Tigger in a Santa hat...oh, here’s something new...Santa Mickey in a chimney...how original…

Aisle after aisle, display after display, I felt like I was in a desert where the sand was replaced with crap...and I was. There was “Holiday this” and “Holiday that”...then my eyes came to rest upon a box, one with a little picture of a Christmas tree on it...but I was confused...what made this a “Holiday Tree” and not a “Christmas Tree”? Was there something different about it? Then it occurred to me...with the exception of only a few boxes, nothing...not a single other thing...had the word “Christmas” anywhere on it! I was lost…

Then our from an aisle came a weary looking blond girl, wearing the “smock” that gave her away as an employee. Her nametag said “Happy Holidays...Pam...How can I help you?” I introduced myself, then asked her if they had the elusive manger. She apologized, and said she didn’t think so...at least, she hadn’t seen them. So I asked her: “Well, Pam...maybe it’s with the Christmas decorations...can you tell me where you keep the Christmas decorations?” She looked at me with confusion and amazement.

“Sir, I’m not THAT tired! We are standing in the middle of the Christmas decorations.” She smiled and chuckled. I pointed to the displays and asked her “Where is the word “Christmas” on anything here?” She was completely befuddled. “I never noticed that before!” “Not even your name tag, Pam?” She suddenly looked blank, as if someone had deflated her.

At this point, a nice young man stepped from the nearby aisle. He told Pam to take a much needed break, and then relieve someone from the receiving area where unloading trucks was backlogged...sheesh...even during the day. He introduced himself as Ken, while taking a name badge from his pocket and pinning it to his shirt. He explained that when they are going to lunch, they take their identifying items off, so they can make it past the “Holiday shoppers” without molestation. I understand that perfectly, having once been a “box store” resident manager. Ken had heard my conversation with Pam, and said he felt compelled to share something with me, as long as I understood that he was not “representing the opinions or policy of the store”...I chuckled…”Law student?” I asked. “No. I actually thought I was going to be a teacher...still just might, but I worked here through college, and when I graduated, they offered me a promotion. Jobs are tough, and they’re not hiring teachers like you might think, so here I am.”

I went on to find out that he was married, Christian, had two daughters and a son on the way. He was a local kid, raised in a rough neighborhood by a single mom who worked in a hospital laundry. Church every Sunday, and family meals meant lots of relatives. His mom made the holidays special when he and his siblings were young, and the church was their place of learning, of celebration, of help when times were tough, and joy for holidays, weddings and picnics. He wasn’t all “bible in your face”, but at the same time, I found myself a bid envious of his stable spirituality, and his sincerity.

“A few years back, the corporate guys came in. They said that they had been addressed by an organized group who had come forward to stand against the “forcing of one groups singular vision of the holidays on those without the same belief” and threatened litigation, demonstrations and a boycott. They were apparently well funded and had the ears and cameras of the media on their side.” I remembered reading something about that, and some blips on CNN, but didn’t think anymore about it, as I thought the “atheist militia” as I called it, had crawled back under their rocks. Ken went on. “They said that they had ‘remarketed’ and ‘adjusted’ the plan-o-grams for the company to better recognize and be more sensitive to what they called ‘diversity’ in the holiday.” Sounded fair to me. I mean, after all, we have Christian, Jewish and Muslim events at this time, too, so it sounded fair, but what about what I found today? “Being a man of color, I thought they meant adding more things like for Hanukkah, maybe Ramadan, Kwanza and things like that. We did get “Black Santa”, did you see that?” I tried to not laugh, but I couldn’t help it. I apologized...but he went on to say:”You don’t need to apologize. I think it’s hilarious, too, but that’s not my point. The bean counters figured out that if they wanted to recognize everyone, it would cost a fortune, and we had no place to put all that inventory, and they didn’t want to get stuck with it. At the same time, they didn’t want to (make angry) the folks that were complaining, so they took the “Christ” out of “Christmas”, and now virtually everything is “Holiday” or listed as “Seasonal” merchandise. There isn’t anything here except for a few cards, some CD’s, and a couple of the trees that say Christmas. They actually do have a few menorah over in the greeting card section near the candles, but beyond that, that’s it!”

I was just stunned. “It’s not just us, Frank...it’s every major chain in the country.”

I thanked him for his time, wished him and his family a “Merry Christmas”, and headed toward the exits. As I walked past the brightly colored displays, they all seemed grey. The twinkling lights, somehow seemed to have gone dull. I realized that even the music in the backround had been gutted, for even the “Christian” songs had the lyrics removed...just music. The music then faded from my ears, and I was alone in this crowded store. Endless shoppers pushing past, saying not a word unless it was to the cell phone jammed in their ears, asking about size of shirts or “does he have that already”...because you wouldn’t want two of the same gifts...that would just ruin the “holiday”.

It seemed like forever, pushing past these faceless sheep, focusing on the bright red exit sign. Just as I got to the exit, the speakers went silent. The “click” over the speaker let everyone know there was about to be an announcement...a call for a department...a special in the “holiday” section...a spill in aisle 4...some insignificant banter to lull me as I headed into the rain…then the announcement crackled...and I heard a familiar voice: “I want to personally thank you for shopping at our store today, and to wish all of you a Happy Hanukkah, a peaceful Ramadan, and a Merry Christmas. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I’ll be glad to help you find it.”

Thanks, Ken...you did. The spirit of Christmas is alive and well, and it’s where it always should be...in the hearts and minds of the people. Merry Christmas to you all...

...I still need a manger!

Thank You To All My Readers!

When I first began my blog in September, 2010, I had just under 600 page views that first month.  That was my record.  I got close one other month but 594 was my record for over two years.  This month, November, 2012, I had 804 page views of my blogs.  That means I have quite a few more people reading what I write.  I just wanted to say thank you.

Many people disagree with the things I write, particularly when it's political in nature, yet they keep reading. Last year sometime I posted something that said I'm OK with people who disagree with me and OK with their comments and dissenting views.  As long as people are polite and courteous, I have no problem with them disagreeing with me.  To date - I have only deleted one comment by a reader I don't know and only because it was derogatory to the point of being rude. It was basically an attack on me.  And since this is my blog - I don't really have to put up with it.  As I've told others - if you don't like what I write - don't read it.  It's really that simple.

Anyway - what I really wanted to do was say thank you to my readers.  When I write something and post it, I always hope people will read it and accept my opinion, whether or not they agree with me.  Obviously, since I had 800 people read my posts this month, I'm getting my wish.  So thanks to all who follow my blog and/or read it if the topic interests them.  I appreciate it very much.

Tomorrow (or maybe Sunday) I'll be posting another blog about Christmas and Jesus.  I invite all to read it, whether or not you believe in God.  It will be informative to say the least.

Thank you all for reading my ramblings.  I am humbled and grateful.

Glen