A Long December

Here are the lyrics from my favorite Counting Crows song.

To quote my favorite line, and my wish for all of us,

"Maybe this year will be better than the last."

Happy New Year from KAT

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A long December and there’s reason to believe

Maybe this year will be better than the last

I can’t remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin’

Oh the days go by so fast

And it’s one more day up in the canyons

And it’s one more night in Hollywood

If you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would

The smell of hospitals in winter

And the feeling that it’s all a lot of oysters, but no pearls

All at once you look across a crowded room

To see the way that light attaches to a girl

And it’s one more day up in the canyons

And it’s one more night in Hollywood

If you think you might come to California...I think you should

Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after 2 A.M.

And talked a little while about the year

I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower

Makes you talk a little lower about the things you could not show her

And its been a long december and theres reason to believe

Maybe this year will be better than the last

I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell my myself

To hold on to these moments as they pass
And its’ one more day up in the canyon

And it’s one more night in hollywood
And it’s been so long since I’ve seen the ocean
I guess I should
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“Ideas are only good if they’re shared,” he said.
The silence was deafening.

Merry Christmas

(Written By Hennessy)

Perhaps it should have been prefaced, “Once upon a time, long ago.” Maybe even “as the story goes” might have sufficed as its beginning.

Those lines are for fables and fiction. This story, not of fiction, not of folklore, but of truth, has passed on from those who were there that night in Bethlehem. This is the very essence of just how we are to celebrate this time of the year. It has taken on many shapes and forms, but it still has the same core meaning we all wish to capture in life.

This is the story of hope, love and peace.

I have never been to Bethlehem, nor have I crossed the sands of Galilee. I cannot begin to imagine the journey that was to take place in order to deliver this Savoir, this man who was already to be called Jesus. I do know however, that on that night, that most silent of nights, the holy spirit came to be in a manger with the animals as witnesses to watch the hand of God see that his Son be delivered to us all. A lone star shining in the darkness of the desert provided the light to the manger where the magi assembled to bring gifts to the newborn King. They knelt at his feet, and glory be to the newborn rang true throughout the tiny manger. This night, there in the cold, a miracle amongst mankind was under that magic star. Perhaps today, we see stars and think to ourselves; where is my miracle.

As I said, this is the story of love, hope and peace. This is also what Christmas is as well. On this day, we shall not find under the adorned trees that grace our homes any of those three things (love, hope, peace) as a wrapped present. They are wishes of ours, beliefs we hold in our hearts and souls that we pray we never lose, or that we pray we obtain, should they not be with us just yet. All of them represent the essence of who we are as a people. I find it rather humbling to seek these three magical elements of life. So precious they are, so fragile and in an instant can be gone should we not guard them with care. It is a blessing to us all that we have them with us and let their meaning guide us just as the star did for the Wise men. I hope that you have love, hope and peace, and hold them closely, never letting them out of your thoughts.

Love. This is an emotion we extend to those we care for. Our families mostly are the receivers of this. Acts of kindness not provoked, but rather given freely as we love those that matter most to us in our lives. While the sands of time permit us to be together in life, tell those that make you who you are that you love them because one day, the hourglass of time shall have not a grain of sand left and time and love shall have slipped away.
Hope. Perhaps this is what we desire daily. We use that word an awful lot in life, and when it appears in spoken word or thoughts, we overextend its true meaning. To all of you, I so hope from my heart, that all of you have a blessed Christmas together with family; the ones we love the most in life. I hope over your homes that day, that your star shines, and that your miracles take place.

Peace. The last of the three holiday spirits. Let it visit you this day. Let peace be in your hearts, your souls and in your homes. May the hand of heaven hold yours and let you know that peace and kindness on this day shall be yours to have and to hold. May serenity and tranquility rain down upon you and those that matter most to you in your lives.

Permit me to take this time and opportunity to extend wishes to you all in hopes that you on this most magical of days experience the love, hope and peace that you so all deserve. May the beauty that is this day be with you all and that you experience in the love of this season of giving and receiving. Let these blessings be with you this Christmas, and forever and always.

There's more, much more, to Christmas than candlelight and cheer; it's the spirit of sweet friendship that brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness; it's hope reborn again, for peace, for understanding, and for goodwill to men.

From our home to yours my friends, a very blessed and Merry Christmas day to you all. God bless.

Peace.

So This Is Christmas...

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas.

For all you have, for all you need, for all you want, for all you are grateful and thankful for.

For all you've lost, for all you will gain, for all you hope and for all you dream.

I wish for you that your Christmas wish comes true.

(And mine too!)

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So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

John Lennon Happy Christmas (War is Over)

A Few Days Before Christmas...

Written By Jules:

On Wednesday late afternoon/early evening, I drove through downtown Elyria on my way to a meeting for work. I couldn’t help but notice the town square, always beautifully lighted for Christmas and it is no exception this year. However, my thoughts were not so much on the pretty lights and the holidays only a few days off. It was hard to feel much joy. The day before, the company I work for eliminated three positions in our department. Like most every business out there, the domino effect of the economy has hit us and due to “changing business” needs, as it was referred to, three women were told their positions were cut – effective immediately. Somehow losing your job the week before Christmas seems even more brutal. It was mentioned in our meeting that there is no good time to be told you are out of a job, but I beg to differ – it seems these cuts could have waited until after the holidays, but that was not how it was handled.
In the past month, two women I know lost their mothers – in the same week. My neighbor’s mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in early November. She had not been obviously ill – the diagnosis came through the investigation of a swollen ankle, which led to other tests and unbelievably, stage IV pancreatic cancer. As Thanksgiving and the pre-Christmas season came around, my neighbor and her family watched her mom rapidly dwindle away. I could only imagine the shock and grief they must have felt during the month that her mother was dying. I cannot begin to know how they are coping now, but certainly with the deep sense of pain and loss that perhaps makes their lives seem unrecognizable as they work through this rough time.
A week earlier, a young college student who works at a coffee shop I frequent lost her mom; a 51-year-old woman. She passed away in her sleep from an apparent heart attack. I saw this young girl today, back on the job for the first time since her mom died. I didn’t know what to say, except, “I’m glad you are back.” Her face was sad. We didn’t go anywhere near the discussion of her mom. She thanked me for the card I sent her. She told me that they had put a tree up but she had not bought presents. I got the feeling she didn’t want to celebrate Christmas. I can understand why. Her pain is too fresh.

There is the terrible sadness over the discovery of little Caylee Anthony’s body being positively identified this past week. There is nothing left of this beautiful little girl but her bones, tossed into a garbage bag with duct tape across her mouth. No one can comprehend this tragedy. What can you say? Caylee will not be here to celebrate Christmas with the people who did love her. So many people who didn’t even know this child feel the grief of her loss – So many people who hoped that by some miracle she was still alive. She lives on in a video made of her singing the song “You Are My Sunshine” in the voice of a toddler who cannot quite get the words or tune quite right. You can ask why over and over and there will never be an answer that makes sense.

So many people I know must feel their lives are fragmented; changed in ways they never expected, through loss of loved ones and loss of jobs. I know they are hurting. I keep them in my prayers and I hope they can move toward better times and the road will not be long and difficult. I hope that they are shown kindness and a lot of care right now – that they are not alone in their pain. I hope they are given peace, strength and hope this Christmas. I hope they will be okay.

For KP, MB, MM, RM, and JK.

And for anyone who was touched by Caylee and loved her. And for anyone who is having a hard time during this holiday season.

Take care,

Jules

Christmas Past - Remembered and Missed

(Written By Jules):

This year, my 12 year old son has asked for an iPod for Christmas. We have decided, however, that a less expensive MP3 will most likely be what he gets. Being that he’s on the immature side, loses things such as his winter coat on a cold snowy day last week (it did turn up in his locker at school), his $15.00 Virgin mobile top up cell phone (again, went the cheap route because of his track record) and countless school supplies – he’s already on a second round of new supplies and it’s only December), the same brand less expensive MP3 that I personally own will be what he gets. It will still have to be heavily monitored because of the high probability of it turning up missing, or found in my washing machine…

I started thinking about the things I got for Christmas when I was a kid, particularly around his age, or a little younger. There was my transistor radio, no doubt a Christmas gift, a little handheld one in a brown leather case with a strap. I do not remember the brand name. It required some effort to get it to work at times, probably due to dying batteries since I played the thing constantly – pressing the 9 volt battery up against the connectors, holding it this way or that way, whatever it took to get the best reception from CKLW out of Detroit/Windsor. Transistor radios are pretty prehistoric compared to how we access music today, but nothing opened up the world to me like the music that came, often crackly, from that little radio. Music was my escape from things that were hard on the not so popular loner kid that I was. Music in many ways was EVERYTHING to me. It made me feel happy. I could listen to music and forget that I didn’t like school, that I was a shy kid and struggled socially. Music connected me somehow to the world, and helped me get through. Thank you Elton John!!! No, I didn’t have an MP3 player but I had what most of us did during the 1970s – and it was enough. It was more than enough. It still makes me feel good to think back on the many happy hours I spent listening to that radio.

I went through my Barbie stage for awhile, but I never actually owned my own Barbie. Rather, I inherited my sister’s dolls, which were probably circa 1960, possibly original versions of Barbie, with the heavily lined lids and the high ponytail. My sister had a “Midge” doll too who wasn’t too cute. We had Skipper who was a kid doll, Barbie’s little sister. It wasn’t until I got Barbie’s English cousin (later I think she was plugged as Barbie’s sister) “Stacie” in 1968 that I felt I had a cool doll. To me, Stacie was the hottest doll in the collection of Barbies (unlike kid Skipper or Midge). She was up to date, red hair with bangs, a side swept ponytail (which would require extensions if you wanted to recreate the look today) and eyelashes. I thought Stacie emulated total beauty. I wanted to look just like her when I grew up. Never was there a more beautiful doll than Stacie. I can still remember the rubber/plastic smell of that doll when I opened the box on Christmas - Stacie by Mattel.

There were other things I remember like Liddle Kiddles, an Alice in Wonderland watch, a Mickey Mouse watch that was “electric” and needed battery (the beginning of the end to the wind up watch), a baby doll early on called Thumbelina that squirmed and moved like a baby. But my brother had the toy I truly wanted, Mattel’s “Thingmaker” and the molds for Creeple Peeple. A little heating unit which could most likely send a kid to the ER with third degree burns melted different colors of PlastiGoop that was squeezed into molds set on the unit – the plastic “set” somehow while emitting unbelievable fumes throughout the whole house while my worried mother, downstairs, would scream up to his room, “You are going to burn the house down – and that awful smell!” He wasn’t banned from using it (I honestly don’t think my parents knew what they were buying when he asked for it and they never took it away from him and I don’t remember any recalls of it being a dangerous toy – which indeed it was) and we ended up with rubber ghoulish monster heads made from the goop that we stuck on our pencils. I can still see the face of one ghoul in particular – you could glue little rhinestones onto the ears of this creature. I can still remember watching my brother cooking that goop in those molds with the stench permeating the air – while he chewed gum. He didn’t let me in his room often but I think he must have felt he had something with his Thingmaker and loved to demonstrate it. He knew I was jealous.

One last thing I want to mention – K-Tel’s 22 Explosive Hits LP. It was advertised on TV nonstop. I knew the order of the songs, the photos of the artists, and I wanted that LP. None of the songs were full length – they were all shortened to fit the 22 songs on this piece of vinyl. There was a song called “Popcorn” by Hot Butter, done on Moog synthesizers (if you don’t know it, check this out and I’m sure it will come back to mind… http://www.blogger.com/. K-Tel LPs and 8 tracks – yes, 8 tracks – were popular during the 1970s. Although I can’t find a You Tube for the commercial for 22 Explosive Hits, this one comes close… http://www.blogger.com/ . My cousin and I both got “22 Explosive Hits” for Christmas one year and we talked about it constantly. There was “Chicaboom” by Daddy Dewdrops, “One Bad Apple” by the Osmonds, “If Not For You” by Olivia Newton-John, and a bunch of songs long forgotten and artists never heard of again. What was so “explosive” about these hits, I am not sure, but my cousin and I thought it was a big deal and we wore our LPs out.

I miss childhood anticipation and those long ago Christmases. I wouldn’t trade it for another era for anything. I can’t hear the music of Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” without thinking of my childhood – particularly, “Christmas Time Is Here” or “Skating,” imaging snowflakes falling to that lovely piano piece. There were no iPods back then but I was happy listening to AM radio on that transistor. It’s what we had. It was cool to us. There is no more Mr. Jingaling or Santa Claus set up for two weeks after Thanksgiving at the Ben Franklin store in my home town – things change, sometimes sadly – but I remember them, and those memories are always with me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE – FROM JULES

Sometimes I get to feelingI was back in the old days - long ago
When we were kids, when we were young,
Things seemed so perfect - you know,
The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young,
The sun was always shining - we just lived for fun.

Lyrics to “These Are The Days Of Our Lives” – Queen