TCS: Welcome, Yule!

Posted on December 25, 2017 by wordcloud9

Good Morning!

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Welcome to The Coffee Shop, just for you early risers on Monday mornings. This is an Open Thread forum, so if you have an off-topic opinion burning a hole in your brainpan, feel free to add a comment.

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I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
– Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

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Psst! Spoiler Alert. Don’t let any little kids see this.

I was about seven years old when I figured out who Santa Claus was. I didn’t say a word to my parents, so they finally sat me down at age 11, a few weeks before Christmas and asked me if I knew “about Santa Claus,” that he was an idea, an example of generosity and kindness, but not really an actual person. I said I had known about Santa for a long time, and they asked why hadn’t I ever said anything to them. I told them I didn’t want to hurt their feelings because they worked so hard at Christmas.

They seemed really relieved that I wasn’t completely delusional.

Once you figure out Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy stop being real too, but I hadn’t said anything about them either, for the same reason.

The divinity of Jesus was the next thing to go, but my mother wasn’t so happy about that one. I still think he is a great teacher, but not God.

So why is Christmas still “celebrated” at my house? Because I love the lights, the trees, the food, Wassail, giving gifts, mistletoe, people making donations for the disadvantaged (even if it’s only for the tax break), getting together with family and friends, Medieval and Renaissance Christmas music, and It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. If we had a fireplace, there’d be a Yule Log in it.

The fun stuff is all borrowed from Paganism anyway. Even the supposed birthday of Jesus.  And when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon, it’s good to have these things to cheer us up,  especially at the end of a year of little peace and even less good will.

However and whatever you celebrate, have a wonderful week, and let’s meet here again in 2018.
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About wordcloud9

Nona Blyth Cloud has lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for over 50 years, spending much of that time commuting on the 405 Freeway. After Hollywood failed to appreciate her genius for acting and directing, she began a second career managing non-profits, from which she has retired. Nona has now resumed writing whatever comes into her head, instead of reports and pleas for funding. She lives in a small house overrun by books with her wonderful husband.
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2 Responses to TCS: Welcome, Yule!

  1. Malisha says:
    December 25, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Often a baby-sitter and child-care worker, I have a good stash of the Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy stories, but the tooth fairy stories are my favorite. One of my favorite six-year-olds, a very forgetful and “spacey” kid w/a touch of Aspergers, lost a tooth and that night, under his pillow, I found a note in which he had laboriously printed: Dear Tuth Fary, I did lose my tuth but then I LOST it after it came out and we kant find it. I really shud get my munny. You kan ask my mom. She sed she wud stay awak to tell you. Love, Lars.”

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