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Home For The Holidays” November 21, 2012 A Lincoln Daily News Magazine Copyright 2012
What Child is this? Putting the spirit of Christ in Christmas
I’m supposed to be writing about Christmas,
so I might lose everyone right off the bat by
mentioning the recent election. It’s over. Why
bring it up when we are all just now breathing
a sigh of relief? Even if our candidate didn’t
win, at least it we know the insane politics
of 15-second sound bites, misquotations and
obscene advertising budgets has been laid to
rest for awhile.
But here I am digging it up already. I must
be crazy. Here we are on the
threshold of the most wonderful
time of the year, and I’m still
obsessing over the election.
Well, “obsessing” might be too
strong a word. Let’s just say my
mind is still reeling about how
a president comes to power in a
world ruled by the media.
Not having lived in days of
yore, I can only surmise that
the process of electing the United States of
America’s commander in chief must have been
much different before the advent of the 24-
hour news cycle and Facebook. These days,
it seems, we are desperately seeking someone
who knows how to play to the camera and toes
the party line 140 characters at a time. Style
trumps substance.
I suppose the argument could be made: “It’s
not the actual person; it’s what they stand for
that matters.” After all, we wouldn’t want the
rest of the world to think that Americans are
inarticulate, lazy slobs who spend all their free
time parked on the couch watching “Pawn
Stars” reruns. Of course we are going to elect
someone with a measure of wit and eloquence.
And it couldn’t hurt if they happen to be a
snappy dresser. Maybe this kind of “it doesn’t
matter who you are, but how you look” logic
has a certain political appeal, but in the words
of a wise friend, “it really burns
my biscuits” when I hear people
applying this kind of superficial
reasoning to Christmas.
You see, I love Christmas. I
love neighborhoods aglow with
lights. I love the green of fresh-
cut trees, the red of big beautiful
bows and the gold of glittering
ornaments. I love the music
--
everything from “I Want a Hippopotamus
for Christmas” to “It Came Upon a Midnight
Clear.” I love old cartoon classics about misfit
reindeer, magic snowmen and confused little
boys who just want to know what Christmas is
all about. I love sharing good food with loved
ones. I love shopping for just the right gifts,
and I love the smiles they inspire when they
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