Merry Christmas!
Someone keeps reminding me, “Hey, you’re Jewish, why are you saying Merry Christmas?” I’ll tell you why, because I love Christmas. I love everything about it. Don’t be my Huckleberry. Or Scrooge. I love the lights, the festivity, the joy and good will, and even the music. Who doesn’t love Frosty The Snowman? I really miss Burl Ives. I even love The Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies. Don’t judge! However, just to be safe, in case any snowflakes read this (and I hope they do), Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Festivus (for the rest of us). See, even snowflakes have a Christmas connotation. Take that, snowflakes!
During Christmas it just seems everyone is more tolerant of one another. More empathetic. More compassionate. I don’t know why it takes Christmas to bring this out in people, but it does. I’m happy for that. I wish our politicians would all get a visit from The Ghost Of Christmas Future so they could realize how they are damaging our nation. That would indeed be a Christmas miracle. Maybe we should have Christmas every month. I would love that but let’s face it, Santa and his elves would get darned tired. Not to mention those reindeer.
Since Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Festivus (for the rest of us) will soon pass us in a fleeting moment I’ve decide to look ahead to 2020. 2019 was an interesting year for me. It had a lot of ups and downs. Joys and losses. I’m sure everyone had the same. On a scale of 1 – 10, I’d give it a: meh.
Thinking ahead, my mind is already focusing on 2020. I’ve decided to make my 2020 a 10. I insist. I’m going to drop those extra pounds. I’m going to try to be nicer to people – even when I don’t want to (which may be more times than I care to admit). I won’t even fake it. I’ll make it happen Captain. I’ll exercise more and finish up the Green Dragon Sword (Qing Lung Jian) routine I’ve been working on. Maybe never as good as Madame Wang, but good enough. I love my sword. I’ll be nicer to my wife and even eat right. And I know it’s a huge sacrifice on my part but I’ll really try to sample and drink more bourbons than ever before, and even sample and smoke more cigars. That will be hard but I’ll be strong and muscle through it. I think I can do it. And I will finish writing the next Dudley Files novel. It’s a doozy! And the next children’s picture book. You’ll have to wait for the title reveal on that one. Kids are going to LOVE it!
But most importantly, I’m going to work extra hard making people and animals happy because that’s what makes me happy. And my promise to myself is to make sure I’m happy not matter what I choose to do. No more toxic thoughts. I hope everyone does the same. I shall find what makes me happy and let it kill me (hopefully not for a while, but when death comes, it comes). You got that snowflakes? I hope they continued reading. Dang it, I was trying to be nicer and already blew it with that snowflake comment. No, wait, it’s not 2020 yet. I’m safe. Thank goodness.
So, in 2020, try new things. Be kind, empathetic, and caring. Make people happy. And most importantly make yourself happy – whatever that means. We can do this. Be brave enough to suck at something new…
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and Happy Festivus (for the rest of us). As my friend, Kinky, always says, “May the God of your choice bless you.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2020 is going to be the best one ever for all of us! I just know it!
