Holiday Thoughts

It is hard to believe that as of today it is only two days until Christmas!  This year has flown by fast, and in a way I am glad it did - this has been a very challenging year for us.  Anything that could happen - car problems, unemployment, other financial challenges - did, but by God's grace we survived and recovered.  I did, however, have a crisis of faith in those challenges, but my faith was stronger than I gave credit for, and God came through.  I am anticipating, and hoping, that 2011 will be a much better year for us, and it is already off to a good start with a new job (I landed a law firm position finally, and it's a great position too!) and a new vehicle (this one, a 2003 Ford Ranger truck, was purchased through a dealership rather than one of those sleazy "buy here pay here" places, so it is in fantastic shape too).

Christmas in recent years has been a bit of a paradox to me, not so much in the holiday itself than in the attitudes of people in regard to it.   It just seems like people have a lot less reverence for the season than they once did, and it's also reflected in pop culture too - some TV networks, for instance, are showing that "Harry Potter" witchcraft nonsense as well as shows about stupid vampire romances rather than the traditional Christmas movies and shows, and that stinks! Excuse my bluntness here, but what in hell does Harry Potter have to do with the Christmas season, really??  It's bad enough that we have to endure that garbage in October, much less Christmas!  It just seems like in these times, people are getting stupider all in pursuit of a lousy buck.  Then, in some places, it is even considered an offense to say "Merry Christmas" to people, yet it is "progressive" to acknowledge Kwanzaa, which is a made-up holiday that exploits good African-American folks (some who promote Kwanzaa don't seem to realize that Christmas is not exclusive to race - Jesus died for all, and Christmas is for us all.  Kwanzaa then, in my opinion, is a racist holiday - again, stupidity in our society run amok!).  What is worse is the way people belittle and snub Christmas music, as if it is some nuisance.  I personally love hearing it, and could care less who gets offended by it - I would rather hear music about a nice season as this rather than seeing Miley Cyrus or Brittany Spears or that little Bieber twirp shaking their booties on stage anyday!  Seriously, our society has gone mad, has it not??  Some of you I know agree - don't be afraid to say so!

I want to lighten the mood a little as I talk about what I perceive as a traditional Christmas.  During much of my childhood, I grew up somewhat poor and we didn't have a lot.  However, when Christmas came, we celebrated it sparing no expense, and it was a very precious time of year for us.  From smelling the bird roasting stuffed with oyster dressing to the Christmas music and the busy festivities, I have great memories of those times.  And, there were years when we had little to celebrate with too - one year in particular, when I was about 11 or so and we lived in Kirby, WV, we couldn't even get a tree.  So, Mom, with a little bit of creativity as well as a little bit of beer in her belly, got creative and decorated a lampshade with Christmas lights, and that was a memorable though humorous holiday (I forgot to mention that the homemade lampshade was also made out of Budweiser cans crocheted with green yarn too, which added to the interesting decor - if only I could have gotten a picture of that!).  Mostly though, I remember the music.

Everyone I know is aware that I collect vintage big band records, and I suppose one of the reasons I got into that was through Christmas music Mom exposed me to at an early age.  I grew up with all the classic holiday songs, whether it be Gene Autry's 1947 classic "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the classic Nat King Cole "Christmas Song," Bing's "White Christmas," or later on, even Elmo and Patsy's 1981 gem "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer," All of that created holiday tradition, and indeed it still is wonderful to hear that great music even today.   However, sometime around 1983 or so, I picked up one of those old Columbia Christmas promotional LP's from the early 1960's (some of you remember those - you could buy them for a buck or something at the local grocery store, and they featured various artists performing some wonderful holiday music on them, such as Ray Conniff, Andy Williams, etc.) at Fitzwater's Store in Rio, WV (otherwise known as the Rio Mall), and on it was a recording of a song called "Holiday of Love" by the King Family.  Some of you old-timers remember that old "King Family" variety show, don't you?  It aired in the late 1960's, and featured the Four King Sisters (a legendary act from the big band days, the nucleus of the Alvino Rey Orchestra in the 1940's, and after Alvino married Louise King, the orchestra became more of a family affair that in the 1960's blossomed into this HUGE variety show) and all their kids, their husbands, and probably some grandkids as well, making over 40 of them altogether.  Recently, they released on DVD one of those vintage programs from 1967, which I was was priveleged to get, and although it was a few years before my time, it's as if I connected with the program.  The King Family Christmas shows personify what the Christmas season is all about, and watching that special on DVD Sunday I reflected upon that. 

The King Family, as they appeared in a publicity photo during the 1960's

The song "Holiday of Love" was written by one of the King Sisters' brothers, and it is a beautiful expression of the holiday season.  I have tried to find the lyrics for the song, but they are hard to come by, so may have to post later.  Any rate, if any of you want to enjoy a vintage Christmas variety show, the Kings are the people to check out.  They still have an official website too if you are interested, at http://www.officialkingfamily.com/. 

These are just a few holiday reflections, and I wish you all not a mere "happy holidays," but I unashamedly as a follower of Christ say "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"