words and images by Warren Wilson
...just yet.
Life used to be simpler. As a kid, before the TRUTH, I took all that was told to me as the gospel. Then, in the 3rd grade, some kids started picking on me because I still believed in Santa Claus. Confused, I ran home and asked my parents if the kids were right. As I figured they would, my parents straightened it out for me ... YES, there is a Santa Claus, and he'd be coming to see me soon! I breathed a sigh of relief.
Tucked and snugged in the bed that Christmas Eve, I had visions of sugar plums in my head. Santa would be here (the sooner the better). And, I knew Santa had a lot to give me because I had been a good boy the entire year. I could hardly wait.
Then, it happened! I heard a rumbling in the house. Assuring myself that it was Santa most likely stuck in the chimney (even though the house didn't have one), I jumped out of bed and ran into the living room. I could not believe what was in front of me! There, still standing on the basement steps, was my father with what was left from his dropping my Christmas toys.
I was sad that the truth had been revealed. But, I was happy that I could start playtime early. A mixed set of emotions for a child at age 9 to cope with.
The truth had set me free. I now could enjoy the season for what it was intended, the birth of Christ (along with some toys thrown in--a chemistry set I had hoped).
But, as the years have rolled on, I/we have culturally moved on. We no longer regard Christmas as a sacred event. The season has become longer (some people even leave their outside decorations out all year and turn them on around the first of November). Just the other day, I realized that the "countdown" to Christmas is now a thing of the past ... 4 Shopping Days til Christmas. Now, about the only ones that remind you how long you have is the Hallmark Channel. After all, who needs a countdown when we start the celebration two months ahead of time? I think we're all ready for it to explode and shrink back into dormancy.
Just waxing the nostalgic, I suppose. Things change; we change. We're moving at such a hurried pace that the lines for most things have become blurred. And, although I feel at times I'd like to reach back to those days of yore, I realize that I need to deal with the present and where we are at this moment.
It helps to keep me focused.
