The Christmas Whirlwind

So much has happened in the last few days, that I’ve found it difficult to process.  My mother and friend arrived Sunday night, and since then, it seems as I’ve been caught up in whirlwind of events, activities, and the kind of moments that make for great memories.  As with finishing a great novel, it’s difficult to process all that’s occurred, and summarize its meaning for my life.  So rather than attempt to do that, I’ll share with you a few aspects of what’s occurred in the last few days, and hope that reading them adds a little enjoyment to your holiday season.

While perusing a used bookstore in Florida, I stumbled upon a find that was beyond compare: a hardcover novel from Roger Zelazny called To Die in Italbar.  I started reading it on the plane ride home, had to set it aside for a while, and finally finished it last night.  There was a time in my life that I searched the library, the grocery and department store spinner racks, and the bookstores for any Zelazny title I could find.  While I’ve not read everything he wrote, I usually recognize titles from his early-to-middle years.  This one was new to me.  As I held the faded, time-worn hardcover in my hands, I couldn’t help but feel like an archeologist who has just unearthed artifacts from a previously undiscovered race or culture.  According to the Wikipedia entry on the novel, Roger Zelazny hastily wrote the novel to fulfill a publishing contract, and forever lamented it as his worst novel.  I’ll agree that it’s not perfect, that the narrative could have flowed better, that he could have developed some of his characters and ideas a little more, but still, this is early Zelazny fueled by passion and optimism, transforming a central fantasy element into a rousing Science Fiction adventure novel.  Despite its brevity, the story holds a potency that many novels lack.  Even a day later, I can’t help feeling a little like Moses, after his audience with God.  Can others see the light radiating from my features, after my proximity to the great man through this early novel?  I certainly feel like I’m glowing.

In my family, when it comes to gift giving, our tradition is to overdo it at Christmas.  Sure, this means that we spend more money and time shopping than others do, at least on a per family member basis.  Perhaps it’s silly; I’m willing to admit it’s extreme.  But a part of me is glad that we haven’t succumbed to the mentality of “We’re mature now, we only need to give each other one or two gifts.”  Maybe I’m the only one in my family who loves this tradition: perhaps if I grew up in this manner, everyone else would too.  But there’s a part of me that couldn’t bear to do so, that would die if Christmas only became another day on the calendar in which we gave each person a token present, and then spent the rest of the day eating, partying, or reflecting on the origins and religious significance of the holiday.  Christmas is a link to my past, when life was carefree, when each day seemed magical and full of possibilities.  I’m already way too adult.  I already view things way too seriously.  Allow me one day each year to be a child, please!

Despite all the great times, the days were not all ice cream and Brownie Cherry cobbler, as illness celebrated the holidays with us.  It pressed into my chest, making it difficult to breathe, and sapped my concentration.  Due to the burning in her chest and throat, my wife found it difficult to talk, and her coughing kept her awake at night.  So after my mother and friend left, I took her to Dr. Gross, a physician we had never visited before, who turned out to be nice, despite his unfortunate name.  While we waited for our prescriptions, we enjoyed Vanilla Rooibos Tea Lattes at Starbucks.  As we don’t drink coffee, we tend to visit such places once or twice a year.  A kind barista (who confided that she also doesn’t like coffee) gave me the taste I was looking for with a few extra pumps of Vanilla syrup.  I know it’s more calories, and I’m not burning them off right now as I’m mainly eating, reading, and sleeping, but then, the doctor didn’t give me a prescription.  We’ll call it medicinal Vanilla, shall we?

Roger Zelazny, opening presents, and Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte (with extra Vanilla syrup).  Those are just the tip of the iceberg, the most memorable and visible from a host of holiday events.  Supporting them were wonderful meals, great times filled with love and laughter, and quiet moments to savor.   The Christmas season may not be over, but for now, I’m content that the whirlwind seems to have died down.  I hope that your Christmas was rich in family, friends, and fun times, and filled with those special moments that you will savor in the years to come. 

Dragon Dave

The Candy Train

Here’s something that proves gifts need neither be expensive or sophisticated.  An older gentleman at our friend’s church hurried over to her as she was getting into her car.  “This is for you,” he told her.  “Have a Merry Christmas.”

This train says something about the giver.  It says that he was thinking of my friend, and he wanted to honor and thank her for the role she plays in his life.  (In other words, he doesn’t take her contributions for granted).  It demonstrates that he’d rather give her something simple and fun than nothing at all.  This gift also says something about the recipient.  It demonstrates, that she doesn’t take life too seriously.  It shows that she’s an open person, and enjoys a good camaraderie with him.  It reminds me that she is a loving and caring person, as he gave her this gift, when he didn’t make or give gifts to everyone at her church.

Some people think that either you must do things first class, or do nothing at all. But this little train reminds me of the importance of thanking those who make meaningful contributions to our lives.  It reinforces that something need not be perfect to be valuable.  And it stands as proof that sometimes, gifts from the heart, that cost no more than a little effort and imagination, can be the best gifts of all.  I wonder if, next year, he'll give her a caboose?

Now, that would be sweet!

Dragon Dave 

Jesus’ Views on Gift Giving

While most of us observe the holidays as best we can, there are always those who refuse to do so.  Often, these people argue that gift giving represents the commercial exploitation of Christmas.  Rather than spending time buying, giving, and receiving items we don’t need, they suggest that we spend that time in contemplation of the true meaning of the season, and working to fulfill others’ needs rather than their wants. 

Certainly, such arguments make valid points.  Observing the holidays can be stressful.  We carve time out of our busy schedules to decorate our homes, send out cards, cook and bake, attend parties, and participate in or attend programs.  Christmas also serves as a magnet, reminding us of past events (good and bad), as well as the friends and family members no longer with us.  Coming as it does at the end of the year, it coincides with our natural tendency to review the last twelve months, and compare our intentions with our achievements.  With so much going on, traveling to stores, searching for appropriate gifts for everyone on your list, wrapping them, and finally handing them out can seem like an immense, meaningless, and unnecessary task. 

While I acknowledge the above arguments, I cannot believe that anyone truly dislikes receiving gifts.  Especially not from friends and loved ones, and particularly gifts carefully chosen with a person’s interests in mind.  In regards to proper gift giving, I’m not talking about getting an item you need, but something that you’d love to own, even if you might never justify buying it for yourself.  People often hold onto a well-chosen gift long after its usefulness has expired, even if it clutters up their home.  It reminds them of the giver, and the sentiment behind it.  Even if the giver is no longer their friend, lives far away now, or has passed on into eternity, the present remains a link to past times, the fellowship they once shared, and the importance in which the person once held them.

Christians are particularly adept at arguing against the importance of gift giving at Christmas.  They point to the homeless, to the programs that help families in need, or to the starving millions in other countries.  They trot out figures such as the amount of money people in their country cumulatively spend on presents (as if such figures could ever be calculated accurately) versus the amount of financial aid their government gave to a less developed country in past years.  Pastors even preach from the pulpit that, faced by so much need, gift giving represents greed and selfishness. 

This is nothing new.  Christians are People of the Word, and ever since there has been a Bible, Christians have used scripture to justify anything they did or did not want to do.  So perhaps I’m merely twisting the Word to my own purposes when I point out that several wealthy and wise men once undertook a long and arduous journey to give an infant lavish gifts he didn’t need, and that his parents, with the exception of the gold, had no practical use for.  Perhaps I’m equally wrong to point out that all four gospels record an incident in which a woman anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.  Some onlookers were offended by the woman’s act, as according to Mark 14:3-9, the perfume cost 300 denarii, which equaled the amount of money the average laborer would make in a year.  The disciples point out that the perfume could have been sold, and the proceeds given to the poor.  Yet what does Jesus say?  “Why are you bothering this woman?” he asks them.  “She has done a beautiful thing.  The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” (NIV version)

If such stories as Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan teach us anything, it is that providing for others’ needs is mandatory, not optional.  But people have emotional needs too, and after the physical ones have been met, those should be addressed as well.  Others can do as they wish, but I choose to give those I love and care for gifts that they do not need, but I think they’ll appreciate.  In the process, I’m making my holiday season busier and more stressful.  Perhaps I’m also pandering to commercial interests.  But I know I will not have those special people with me forever, and so I wish to thank them, in this way, and especially at Christmas, for their friendship and love.  Perhaps, as Jesus said, I am even doing a beautiful thing.  At least, that’s my intention.

Dragon Dave