WILL B.
Merry Christmas, Olney! We should all be full of Christmas cheer. In the past, I have never been one full of that Christmas spirit; I do enjoy many of the rituals that come with the Christmas season, though.
It’s not that I am some Grinch, Bah Hum Bug. It’s just that my family has not ever been that close; there were no huge holiday get-togethers, no endless buffet of holiday meals, and not a room full of family gathered around the Christmas tree, ready to exchange presents.
I love Christmas because everyone seems just a little nicer to one another and a bit more patient. Of course, there are plenty of Santa moments as well. A Santa moment is when someone gives generously or helps others without thinking of what they might get in return.
Just last week, I didn’t bring enough money to purchase my dog food and ran out to the truck to count change and when I returned, some amazing Olney citizen had already purchased the dog food for me.
Olney is full of amazing people always taking care of each other and I am truly grateful to be living in such a wonderful little town.
I would love to see these Christmas traits practiced year-round. Although I must admit since moving to this sweet little town of Olney, I have seen so many more acts of kindness and generosity than I would see typically in Fort Worth, where I moved from.
The reason for the season is Jesus Christ’s birth, to borrow a popular saying. But, unfortunately, somewhere along the line, this has gotten lost and replaced with commercialism for most of America.
I worked at Walmart and Home Depot in the past and witnessed just how ugly people can be toward one another when it comes to Black Friday sales. It’s not a pretty sight, but there is always a balance, it seems, and people always seem to redeem themselves with acts of kindness in a time when acts of kindness are genuinely needed.
Other things I like about Christmas are eggnog, extra time off from work, and seeing the excitement of children who get to experience Christmas wonder for the first time. When I was young, we did have a family Christmas. I guess it ended when I was about 12 or 13, but those Christmases were full of wonder and excitement.
We would get the Sears catalog in the mail about a month before Christmas, and the dreaming would commence. Now that I am older, I enjoy holiday traditions like watching classic Christmas movies like “Die Hard” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” But my absolute favorite is “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. It will always be my favorite Christmas movie because it is a movie about second chances and about never giving up no matter how dark the hole we find ourselves in.
My favorite Christmas food is tamales or ham and yams. I enjoy Christmas music, and it wouldn’t be Christmas without Christmas service at church.
What are your Christmas traditions? Will you create new traditions or stick with time-honored family traditions?
This is Will B. saying, Merry Christmas, and remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!