After Bob married Doris and two children came along, Bob noticed TV images of shoppers stampeding to buy Christmas gifts.
“Looks like the Oklahoma Land Rush,” he said to Doris.
The next year, Bob thought more about the commercial exploitation of Christmas. He imagined merchants fingering Christmas cash and irreverently singing “What a Friend We Have
in
Jesus.” He thought about Christ entering the Jerusalem temple, driving
out moneychangers and shouting, “My house shall be called a house of
prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”
“People have taken Christmas and turned it into a moneychangers’ holiday,” Bob told Doris.
“Bob, don’t lose the spirit of Christmas because some people enjoy the material aspects of the holiday,” Doris said.
“Bah, humbug!” Bob said.
Bob usually functioned normally but transformed into a different person during Decembers, when his wife shopped alone and his children avoided him. Bob’s friends hated to see him coming during the holly-jolly season.
“Uh-oh, here comes Bob with another of his Santa-is-of-the-Devil lectures,” one friend said as he and two others scattered when “Humbug Bob” approached.
“And Jesus wasn’t even born in December!” Bob yelled after them.
One year, during an evening in December, Bob felt tired after one of his tirades against the commercialization of Christmas. He fell asleep on his couch, while his children were nestled all snug in their beds. Doris lovingly laid her hands on Bob’s balding head and sent up a heavy-duty prayer.
Bob awoke later and said, “I had a dream. I saw myself kneeling at a tiny manger, offering a gift – and my gift…well, it was the bad attitude I’ve had about Christmas celebrations. I’m going to try to enjoy Christmas this year, regardless of excesses I see.”
Doris smiled and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace … heavenly peace!”
“People have taken Christmas and turned it into a moneychangers’ holiday,” Bob told Doris.
“Bob, don’t lose the spirit of Christmas because some people enjoy the material aspects of the holiday,” Doris said.
“Bah, humbug!” Bob said.
Bob usually functioned normally but transformed into a different person during Decembers, when his wife shopped alone and his children avoided him. Bob’s friends hated to see him coming during the holly-jolly season.
“Uh-oh, here comes Bob with another of his Santa-is-of-the-Devil lectures,” one friend said as he and two others scattered when “Humbug Bob” approached.
“And Jesus wasn’t even born in December!” Bob yelled after them.
One year, during an evening in December, Bob felt tired after one of his tirades against the commercialization of Christmas. He fell asleep on his couch, while his children were nestled all snug in their beds. Doris lovingly laid her hands on Bob’s balding head and sent up a heavy-duty prayer.
Bob awoke later and said, “I had a dream. I saw myself kneeling at a tiny manger, offering a gift – and my gift…well, it was the bad attitude I’ve had about Christmas celebrations. I’m going to try to enjoy Christmas this year, regardless of excesses I see.”
Doris smiled and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace … heavenly peace!”
2 comments:
Wonderful and uplifting! Thanks, Steve.
Thanks, Ken. Merry Christmas.
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