This column has been plagiarized.
I do not begrudge those who are in the holiday spirit – good for them. But for reasons that are not really relevant to anyone but me, I am not one of them.
Christmas time was never about presents for me. I got two big presents as a kid – bicycles when I was 5 and when I was 10. At the time, I was somewhat envious of those whose hauls were bigger than mine. Little did I know I had much more than most.
I did not receive what others did because I received everything I needed year round. Christmas was a feeling in the air. My mom was not a baker, but at Christmas the smell of her homemade bread filled the kitchen. We awaited the annual shipment of kielbasa shipped in from her home in Pennsylvania with anticipation that was never disappointed.
But the man who made the kielbasa died – as did eventually everyone from my mom’s generation. I can remember her crying in her room on Christmas day one year, and I did not understand why. I do now.
Without further ado, I am presenting a post from a friend of mine on Facebook. It just about sums up what myself and some of my Scrooge-like friends feel like:
“Sadly, I know too many people to whom this applies. I tried to begin to put up the tree today and couldn’t get the strength mentally to do it. I changed the curtains and began to clear away the area for the tree but I just couldn’t do it. After the curtains were put up and the star lights hung — I stopped in my tracks and sat down and just went down memory lane.
“All I can say is it wasn’t pretty. I think I cried for over an hour with memories of what this time used to be for me and how it was filled with such love and anticipation — and now it brings back memories of the reality of emptiness and sadness.
“So I would like to remind you that there are people for whatever reason are not looking forward to Christmas. Some people are not surrounded by large wonderful families. Some of us have problems during the holidays and are overcome with great sadness when we remember the loved ones who are not with us any longer.
“For many it is their first Christmas without a particular loved one and many others lost loved ones at Christmas. And, many people have no one to spend these times with and are besieged by loneliness. We all need caring, loving thoughts right now.”
So, there it is. The next time someone does not jump up and kick their heals at the prospect of the impending yule season, let them do so – or not do so – as they see fit.
In closing, as my son put forth in his column a while back when he was growing up he would ask me what I wanted for Christmas, my birthday, father’s day, etc., and my response was always the same: “A few kind words and a place to lay my weary head.”
That is what my father always said to me, and I never had a clue what he was talking about. It was not until after he was gone that I understood, and I wish he had lived long enough for me to tell him I finally got it.