The Holiday Pine & Party

Every year, businesses along with our friends at the ACLU manage to squeeze out a little more Christmas and squeeze in more terms that are less offensive. Macy's now has a "Holiday Parade" and many businesses have a "holiday party" for their employees. Oh, let's not mention the "C" word or we'll offend someone.

In response to these less offensive titles, well respected people like Paul Harvey, Andy Rooney and Ben Stein have created really excellent essays about the meaning of Christmas. And we read them and make positive comments. But somehow, we still fall in the "holiday" rut.

Back in the days when Smock had a serious population, a hotel, a railroad station and a company store, Christmas meant something. I remember going to the Union Supply Company Store with my great aunt Katie to find a manger scene. Try to find one today at K-Mart, WalMart, or any department store. If you do, Jesus and the Holy Family would be stuck behind some boxes that held the latest HXQTZ-9000 turbo computer.

Even the word "creche" which can mean "Nativity scene" isn't used much in the U.S. But in countries like Ireland, creche more commonly refers to a day nursery.

In Smock, several families which had a bit more money would place a life-sized Nativity scene in their front yards, right next to the Blessed Mother fountain or grotto that remained up all year. And no one stole the figures of the Wise Men or Baby Jesus. Today, you have to seriously consider covering the Baby Jesus with Geico instead of a blanket.

We used to go to the local farm that had CHRISTMAS trees and cut one down. I had to stand there holding the tree steady and upright while my Dad would saw away at the trunk and Mom would complain about how cold it was. And no matter how much plotting and calculating Dad would do, the cut at the base of the tree was always off a bit. Thank Goodness for those tree holders with the three screws that you had to endlessly adjust for windage and elevation, and Coriolis effect along with gravitational and y/z axis deviation. And when you were done, it was still crooked.

But among all of the whining and complaining, there were true holy moments. Moments like when you hang that ornament that was given to you by someone special who is no longer with you or like when you place that rather time-worn angel at the top of the tree, or when you lay the Baby Jesus in the manger. It seems like time stands still just for a few seconds. These are the truly treasured moments.

Well, it is during those times that I hope you remember the true meaning of Christmas. Sure, I can wax religious and spew out some Biblical references. But Christmas, not the "holiday season" is the second Thanksgiving at the end of the year. We give thanks for our friends. And relatives. Definitely in that order. And we pray that we can understand the difference between the things we need and the things we want. And as my friend the late Jones Pickens used to say at dinnertime, "keep us ever mindful of the needs of others." Now THAT'S Christmas.

Usually after "Rooshin Christmas" in Smock, everyone puts out their old dried up Christmas trees for H.C. Brown to collect in his all purpose garbage truck. One year, my friends and I placed piles of these trees on our sleds and took them to the top of the hill behind our house. It only took one match to set about 20 trees ablaze that had flames reaching at least 50 feet into the air. Everyone on Smock Hill came out of their houses to see that sight. And we were told that we had done a good thing to shout "Happy New Year" while the fire lit up the entire hillside that cold January night. I'd like to see Guy Lombardo top that.

So this year will most likely be like the others. Holiday this and seasonal that. But did you ever wonder why the churches are so crowded for Midnight Mass and Christmas vigil services?

I'll just bet that those atheists are jealous.

"Merry Christmas and God bless us all, cried Tiny Tim."