This is the gorgeous bear I have wanted for a long time. A present from my granddaughter and her boyfriend. I love this bear so much. It’s just what I wanted.
Archive for the ‘Christmas’ Category
It’s over…for now…words
I
twinkle lights
curled up
ready to be put away
along with the memories
gifts
torn wrapping paper
and stale cookies
if any are left
from this year’s
Christmas
joy
relief
disappointment
and
delight
color each person’s
thoughts
as things are packed away
until next year
when
it begins one again
Picture: Pixabay
May the sweetness of Christmas and bunnies, stay with you throughout the year.
Photo: Julee Juu
Unsplash
Christmas Cookies…Enjoy them all day long.
Photo: Consuelo Borroni
Pexels
A Christmas story…
They sat across from each other, eating Christmas cookies and drinking hot chocolate. The air was scented with pine and a drowsy feeling filled the room.
“Why do you think people need to believe in their gods?” he asked, biting the head off of a gingerbread man.
“Fear. Humans are always afraid of something, mostly each other, and believing there’s someone invisible who can rescue them, makes them feel better. Think of how many gods there are. Each of them considered to be the true god, the only god, the real god. It’s ridiculous. Why don’t people realize that the god they believe in, is the god that came with where they live and how they were indoctrinated? If they had been born somewhere else, in a different country, they would believe in the god that exists there.”
“That’s true.”
“I know,” she said.
“So, what do you believe in?”
“I think Mary had a girl and Joseph ran away with her to avoid her mother’s wrath for getting her daughter pregnant.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Ah, a mother’s wrath.”
“Don’t underestimate it. But Joe was smart. He didn’t want to take responsibility for what he did, so he blamed someone invisible and sold it as a religion. Mary, went along with all of it because her reputation was at stake and she would have been shunned for having sex before marriage.”
“Wow,” he said.
“Wow, what?”
“That all makes perfect sense.”
“Because it’s true. Christmas is a pagan holiday celebrating the return of the light and longer days. The catholics took over all the pagan holidays because they couldn’t stamp them out. The trinity was originally, Maiden, Mother, Crone. They just took what they wanted and tried to erase what was already there. But the nice thing about their story is that women don’t need men to have children, so believing in a Goddess makes more sense than any of their gods. Either that or they would have to fess up to their big lie. Well one of their big lies, that is.”
“So, what does Christmas mean to you?” he asked.
“It’s a party with people I care about. It’s about presents and laughter, good food, and silly songs about flying reindeer, who are all female, by the way. It’s about over eating cookies, and catching up with those you haven’t seen in awhile. Mostly it’s about getting rid of long dark days. Minutes of light are added from Christmas on, which means summer is only months away. It’s the hope for warmth, flowers and SUNLIGHT. But it really is about presents. We don’t do ugly sweaters in my family.”
“We don’t either,” he grinned. “Do you have any traditions?”
“Not really,” she said. “My cousin used to go to the zoo and sing to the animals. No one knows if the animals were happy about that, but then no one ever asks them what they want, do they. They haven’t gone in years. The weather has been too cold and horrible. I guess the only tradition is that we get together on Christmas Eve. Christmas day is for taking the decorations down. But the one thing I would really like to do is have street artists go into a church and do their thing. Imagine how wonderful it would be to let people see real artwork done by people with a different vision. Big bold works of art, or delicate birds and animals running across the ceiling. Get rid of pews and all the rigid, controlling structural things. Altars that only some can access. Make everyone equal, no one higher than another. It could be a free zone, with beauty everywhere. No lies, no control, no brainwashing, just art and fun.”
“Well that would be a rec center,” he snickered. “Not a church.”
She smiled. “True enough, but think about nature moving in. Stained glass windows of tigers and trees. It’s just a thought.”
“An interesting one,” he said.
She nodded. “Status quo. You don’t mess with the beliefs of the people. That’s why nothing ever changes for the better. Being set in one’s ways, halts forward progress. I mean I’m the same way. We all are. We think that what we believe is the thing to believe.”
“Did you make these cookies?”
“No. Why?”
“They’re good.”
“Christmas is all about cookies. One thing I love about Christmas is that all of our companion animals get presents, not that they don’t get presents all the time, but these are wrapped and special. Although special is in the eye of the beholder, like everything else. I mean my cat has a dish that says, cat’s rock, but I don’t think she cares. Cats already know that they rock, and they don’t need to tell others about it, so basically her dish is for me. And what about the camels.”
“Camels?” he said, frowning.
“Yes, the magi, or whatever those guys call themselves, rode camels. The camels, like everyone and everything, men subjugate, had no choice. They were born, tied up, saddled, sat upon and ridden. Enslaved, like everyone else. Horses, all animals and minorities, women and children, all of us held between the fingers of patriarchy and crushed, never allowed to become. It’s wrong and deadly, to have only one thing in power over everything else. It will destroy us.”
“What do you have for dessert?”
“Cherry cobbler, brownies, ice cream and strawberries, chocolate lava cake, cookies, banana bread and…don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject.”
“We usually just have cake and cookies.”
“Dessert is the most important part of the meal. Everything else is just going through the motions to get to the dessert.”
“What’s your favorite cookie?”
“Snowballs and burnt chocolate chips. How about you?”
“Peanut butter and sugar cookies.”
“We have nothing in common,” she said, emptying her mug.
“Maybe more than you think.”
“How long have you been a priest?”
“A long time.”
“How’s it going, with all the rapes and things?”
“Could be better.”
She nodded. “You guys should clean up your act. Tell the truth for a change and stop being such…”
“Power is too much of an aphrodisiac. And we are powerful.”
“Selfish and…”
“Yes, that too.”
“I don’t like you.”
“I know,” he laughed.
“You know you’re not anyone’s father, don’t you? Why do you think people should call you that?”
“I guess it’s just another tradition.”
“One that means you better do what I say or no dessert, or I’ll beat you?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, I’m going to go somewhere where people aren’t you,” she said, smiling at him. “Merry Yule and may the Goddess bless you and try and show you how to get out of the mess you got yourself into.”
He laughed out loud. “I’ll watch for a sign,” he said.
“I’m the sign,” but I guess you’ll never see that, will you.”
He stared at her.
“See ya, priest.”
“See ya, non-believer.”
Scrooge…a tale of dark and light.
ebenezer
was a man with a heart
made of stone
he lived in darkness
could never see the light
he was greedy
a miser
a selfish man
who thought only
of himself
he abused the people
around him
was cruel
and thoughtless
perhaps he had been
treated unkindly
in his early years
but that’s not an excuse
sadly
he may have simply
been a mean person
who should have worked
in government
where his darkness
would not have been noticed
Tom
his one employee
was a good man
a man who worked hard
but never stood up for himself
ebenezer
took advantage of him
hoarding coal for the stove
candles for light
and minutes off
for Tom to warm his hands
ebenezer did not ask
Tom about his family
he never spoke to him
at all
other than to browbeat him
and treat him poorly
but the man needed the job
so he remained silent
and did what had to be done
so he could support his family
ebenezer was too blind
to see the light inside the man
at the desk in the next room
he was too blind
to see much of anything
if he took the time to notice
he would have seen that Tom and his family
were barely scraping by
he would have seen Tim
a tiny child who was dying
for lack of money
because some things never change
no matter which century it is
but Tom put on a happy face
when he was at home
where food was scarce
and joy came in the form
of togetherness
since hunger and abject poverty
left them with nothing else
ebenezer went home on
Christmas Eve
after refusing to give anything
to anyone
ghosts visited him that night
they showed him his past
his present
and finally
his future
a future where he died alone
with only a brother watching his coffin
being fed to the flames
a brother he had ignored
for years
most people don’t get ghostly visits
well
maybe at night when unwanted
thoughts come to visit
but ghosts don’t usually come to help
not in the form his ghosts took
why did they try help him
how did they come to work together
in order to help him
did they see a flicker of light
deep inside his darkness
or was ebenezer himself
used by an author
to show readers
how to find the light
within themselves
once ebenezer’s eyes were opened
the light burst forth
and with it
came awareness
generosity
kindness
and a new lease on life
did he change to save himself
you may ask
I don’t believe that he did
I think the only way the light
can be seen
is if the change is honest and true
the most important point is
that when ebenezer changed
everything round him changed as well
Tom’s family had enough food
Tiny Tim was healed
the money ebenezer donated
helped others
people stopped hating him
he appreciated his brother
and everything was different
all because one man
overcame the darkness
inside himself
the name Scrooge
is known by almost everyone
he is the poster boy
for hatefulness
and greed
but one needs to remember
that darkness is equal to light
it’s only because we can see in the dark
that darkness got it’s negative reputation
bad things happen in the dark
but one isn’t better than the other
both are necessary
they just have to be balanced
so that we don’t get visits
from chain wearing ghosts
while we’re trying to go to sleep
if the ebenezer’s of the world changed
think of how different things would be
Photo: Vintage/arthur rackham
Pixabay
To the children of the world…my wish for you.
I wish you sunshine
soft blankets
and hugs
to be loved for who you are
to live in peace
without fear
to be able to learn
from teachers who care
to be healthy
and have health care
if you need help
I wish for your dreams
to come true
I want you to have
delicious food
to be able to play
and have friends
to find joy
in simple things
to not hate the generations
who left you an earth in crisis
to have dreams
that come true
to find love
to be kind
to care for animals
and all living things
I wish for you to be happy
and free
to never let yourself be
controlled by others
but to simply
be your own
creation
a work of art
made by you
you
who have
the potential
to make a new
and better world
these are the things
I wish for you
Photo: Pixabay
Rethinking Life 
Written
on December 30, 2022