Merry Christmas
- Details
- by Mark Stephens on Fri Dec 24, 2010 - Add comment
Hey there, good person. Merry Christmas.
That's McKenzie who's participating very well with the camera. She'll go far. She listens to instructions; at least for ol' Uncle Mark. Whereas my child back there has her own drummer.
For several years in a row, we've taken a weekend trip with our friends Brian and Jenny to cut down our own Christmas trees direct from the forest. The trees are never perfect. They have bare sections and funky branches. They're always shorter than we expect, too. It costs us a nominal fee for the permit, so we make a full weekend of it by renting a cabin, bringing the guitars and a supply of red wine.
We love these trees, we love making the memories.
At my current stage in life - mid-thirties, no longer as idealistic as I once was, much more coarse, vulgar, and cynical, and truthfully it's not the direction I want to be going - getting into the Christmas spirit is a tall order. The neighbors put out their lights and decorations far too early for my taste, diluting the whole experience. Or maybe I'm a grinch. The local radio stations have been playing all versions of all Christmastime tunes since the week of Thanksgiving. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's version of Carol of The Bells really gets under my skin - queue the fog machines! - which is ironic, given their version is actually medley with an old tune that you might recognize by the first line: "God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay."
But my Christmas tree that we cut down ourselves, despite - or because of - its odd shape and imperfections brings me a big fat grin, really. I feel like Christmas is here when I see our tree - which, you know, a Christmas tree is traditionally a symbol of the nativity. Peter Mayer sings in one of his acoustic Christmas songs, God is a River:
God is a river, not just a stone
God is a wild, raging rapids
And a slow, meandering flow
Trees, rivers, a miracle birth in an outdoor stable: metaphors for God are aplenty when you're outside in the wilderness. I'll take 'em.
So from my eggnog to yours, from our hearts to yours, have a perfect Christmas. I want to do some good things next year, don't you? Let's raise some cool, respectable kids who might learn to love living things, the planet, the natural world, and people of all cultures and beliefs. The world could use some good citizens.
Here's to you, here's to your family, here's to the delicate balancing act of earth, sun, moon, and oxygen that keeps us alive and gives us beautiful places to explore.
If you wish to display a slick avatar with your comment, this connects to Gravatar as long as you use your email address (email addresses used here remain private).