if the fates allow
until then we'll just have to muddle through somehow
and have ourselves a Merry little Christmas now"
--lyrics from the early version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
(It's so Covid and so real, which is why I prefer
it to that Disney-ish "hang a shining star from
the highest bow" crap)
Since I'm always late in getting with the Christmas Spirit anyway, my eventual joy may register even later than usual because it's 2020. It has been a ridiculously sad year and it's not concluded yet; "If We Make It Through December" (Merle Haggard), indeed.
And it's been exhausting: the pandemic, the misdirected leadership when it came to fighting the Covid-19 crisis, the exasperating election season and partisan politics, the financial health of the nation--you name it. I've lost three aunts who were such an important part of my childhood (Theda, Nan and Jean on my father's side of the family, and I lost cousin Ken on my mother's side) in eleven months, and that hurts.
So I would like to ask anyone who will listen to cherish your family and friends. It sounds obvious but not appreciating them to the full extent is a recipe for sadness one may never get over--so stay home and connect with them via phone or computer. Please resist the temptation to travel and be a part of large gatherings this year, for it won't be long until Christmas rolls around again in 2021 and our prospects for prosperity will be an improvement over this unsettling moment.
Really. You can wait a year. It's the preferred alternative to spreading or contracting this disease and not being alive for next year's celebrations.