Christmas Eve

Live and learn; click on the title of this blog and review the meaning of Christmas Eve. I was more than a little surprised. I guess after all these years of celebrating this day I forgot its true meaning and significance.

I must say that this Christmas season is different than most. I find myself anticipating celebrating with family tonight and tomorrow more than I can ever remember. You would think with the economy in the dumps and no one being able to afford giving presents this year that I would be in a funk. Just the opposite has occurred. Each family member is making a special Christmas dish to be shared with a liberal sprinkling of good cheer and happiness because we still have so much to be thankful for.

I find myself also thinking strongly of family that cannot be with us during our celebrating. I can only hope that they too have a loving, sharing and wonderful Christmas.

The men and women serving our country in the military also come to mind. Without them protecting our freedoms the world over, we would not be able to worship and celebrate according to our faiths. I pray that each and every one of them return safely so they too can celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones in the years to come.

I could write page after page expressing good wishes for all the oppressed people of the world who will not be able to celebrate the season, but suffice to say, they are in my thoughts. I would also be remiss if I did not mention all of our animal friends in the world who suffer from abuse. Please be kind to animals. They were here long before us and in all probability, they will be here long after we are gone.

Well, there you have it. What started out as an expression of Christmas spirit has turned into a dissertation of the ills of the planet. But, such is the way of being an author. Once started, never stopped.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Write on,

Mittster

Christmas thank you list

1. I am thankful to be alive even though the world is in a mess and I pee too much.

2. I am thankful I pee too much; it could be the opposite.

3. I am thankful for family and friends, even though I can count them all on both hands.

4. I am thankful for two feet because I have room for ten more friends.

5. I am thankful for having enough to eat, even though my diet is restricted to fiber.

6. I am thankful for restaurants so I can sneak out and pig out.

7. I am thankful for a daughter who makes me homemade mac and cheese for the times I can’t make it to McDonald’s.

8. I am thankful for a half-assed good brain that somehow still works after years of non-use.

9. I am thankful for a body that still functions fairly well in spite of years of abuse.

10. I am thankful for a wife who somehow loves me enough to put up with me day in and day out. Nights don’t count; I am a sound sleeper.

11. I am thankful for enough money to get by on. We all need to live within our means in any case.

12. I am thankful for a roof over our heads, even though I know we need new shingles and I will have to install them myself. I’m too old for this shit, but I’ll “get ‘er done” – somehow.

13. I am thankful for the opportunity to have written and published two novels, to be working on the third, and still have enough time to keep up with Twitter, Facebook, a Website and a blog.

14. I am thankful for technology, because without it our planet would have no hope, and there is no way I am going write anything long hand, let alone a novel.

15. I am thankful for the young people of the world. They are smart and ready to stand up for the things that are right about the world and willing to dissent to make things better.

16. I am thankful for the peacekeepers for protecting freedom, dignity, and the right to pursue happiness.

17. I am thankful for what hair I have left, mainly because I can’t afford a hair transplant and wifey won’t let me have one anyway.

18. I am thankful for what time I have left on the planet, even though some wish I would leave post haste.

19. I am thankful that even though Keith Richards and I are the same age, he looks like…well, Keith Richards.

20. Lastly, I am thankful for a life that, in spite of its dramatic ups and downs, I have arrived at a place where I smile a lot, wish everyone well, and truly care about all life on our planet.

I’m just saying,

Mittster

Post Christmas Day

Twas the day after Christmas, and it's quiet from parties and such,
Except for the moans of sour stomachs from eating too much.
There are bags of fresh fruit, cookies and candy,
Waiting to be eaten as soon as we feel dandy.

All our doggies are snuggled and sleeping in our bed,
As we lay there moaning, wishing we were dead.
Pray tell what ever possessed us to eat all that dinner,
One thing's for sure, we will never get thinner.

Out in the kitchen there rose such a clatter,
It was my daughter holding a mac and cheese platter.
Come help me eat it she said with love,
as I awoke from the nightmare thanking God up above.

One thing is for sure this post Christmas day,
If I eat one more bite there will be hell to pay.
Even though hunger comes from human evolution,
I will never eat again is my New Year's resolution.

I'm just saying,

Mittster

Christmas!

I Googled pictures of Santa Claus and picked this one because this is the Santa I grew up with as a child. I know, there are those who will say that this one symbolizes commercialism in Christmas. Well, that may be true, but it's my blog and this is my Santa!

My wife and I had a wonderful Christmas Eve (at our son and his wife's house), with friends and family. We drank homemade Tom and Jerry's, ate fabulous sausage and sauerkraut, crab dip, olive dip, delicious cold shrimp with sauce, and assorted candies and nuts. You see, all the foods were given to each other in lieu of presents. At least that was the plan due to financial hardships caused by the economy. But, there were those in attendance (you know who you are), who presented homemade goody baskets, small, but wonderful gifts, and some gave large sums of money to those who needed it the most. No matter what was agreed to, giving is what the season is all about.

While we were all enjoying each other’s company, soft Christmas music played in the background. The house that we had helped build from the ground up was filled with love and companionship, while the Christmas tree and decorations gave off a magical feeling that is always associated with the holiday season. It was great to be part of the magic that is called Christmas.

We left happy, thankful for family and friends, and arrived back home just in time to see some Christmas lights in our neighborhood. The whole day had been sunny and clear, which is typical of the winter Arizona desert. While wifey drove back toward our Verde Valley from the Prescott area, I gave thanks for the beautiful country we live in and the wonderful life we live. We have all been through hard times before and I know that this too shall pass.

Christmas day will dawn with a bright, warm sun and deep blue skies. We plan to have dinner with my wife's mother (whom we affectionately call Mum), and our daughter Nissa. She was unable to share Christmas Eve with us due to work obligations, so we will make it up to her today with a nice dinner at Denny's. Denny's, you say? None of us want to cook or do dishes, and it's all that is open. I hope I can get a double cheeseburger with fries. Now that's my kind of Christmas dinner!

I'm just saying,

Mittster

Christmas Eve

Live and learn; click on the title of this blog and review the meaning of Christmas Eve. I was more than a little surprised. I guess after all these years of celebrating this day I forgot its true meaning and significance.

I must say that this Christmas season is different than most. I find myself anticipating celebrating with family tonight and tomorrow more than I can ever remember. You would think with the economy in the dumps and no one being able to afford giving presents this year that I would be in a funk. Just the opposite has occurred. Each family member is making a special Christmas dish to be shared with a liberal sprinkling of good cheer and happiness because we still have so much to be thankful for.

I find myself also thinking strongly of family that cannot be with us during our celebrating. I can only hope that they too have a loving, sharing and wonderful Christmas.

The men and women serving our country in the military also come to mind. Without them protecting our freedoms the world over, we would not be able to worship and celebrate according to our faiths. I pray that each and every one of them return safely so they too can celebrate Christmas with family and loved ones in the years to come.

I could write page after page expressing good wishes for all the oppressed people of the world who will not be able to celebrate the season, but suffice to say, they are in my thoughts. I would also be remiss if I did not mention all of our animal friends in the world who suffer from abuse. Please be kind to animals. They were here long before us and in all probability, they will be here long after we are gone.

Well, there you have it. What started out as an expression of Christmas spirit has turned into a dissertation of the ills of the planet. But, such is the way of being an author. Once started, never stopped.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Write on,

Mittster

Anti-Christmas

I watched South Park last night like a zombie. The program was about Christmas, but of course it was anti-Christmas. Click on the title of this blog, and after some commercials, you too can see the Christmas program that starts out with a talking turd.

Normally, I would watch South Park and laugh my butt off, but this time I was unable to find the humor. Come on, a talking turd, sick Jew jokes, and Christmas in hell featuring Hitler, Dalmer, Hussein and other assorted infamous mass murderers? Have the South Park writers lost their minds? I think not. Why? Because Christmas today pretty much sucks, that's why, and this episode of South Park illustrates just how much. After realizing the parody, I was able to laugh till it hurt.

In order to really appreciate what Christmas used to be, you need to read Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol or see the original movie. Now that's what I'm talking about! A Christmas where Scrooge finds his grove and shares his wealth, and Tiny Tim finds love everywhere. Food and gifts made by loving human hands are given with joy and love. The smell of roasting duck mingles with pine scent from a real Christmas tree as carolers' voices singing Silent Night drift into the house from outside. I remember this kind of Christmas as a child.

Now I have visions of people being trampled to death in a department store rush for good deals on merchandise. Television crammed with commercial after commercial trying to sell the newest electronic toys and such. Outside Christmas lights that can be seen from outer space and Christmas cards that say little and mean less. Kids who wake up Christmas morning and are disappointed because they didn't get as much or what they wanted, while their parents suffer through massive hangovers from celebrating Christmas Eve too much.

I, for one, salute South Park for saying and showing what most of us feel. Today's Christmas is a sham. There is one bright spot though. I also salute the people out there who celebrate Christmas in the spirit that was intended - loving, gentle folks who know how to love and be loved just as Christ intended. I am going to join those people in wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas season.

I'm just saying,

Mittster

Merry Christmas

I grew up wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and feeling good about doing so. Now, I am confronted with what is, or is not, politically correct, and the prospect that saying, "Merry Christmas," might offend some people. Does that mean that all the years I wished even a passerby on the street a Merry Christmas that I was offending them? In all those years, not one person ever said that they were offended. Does that mean they didn't say anything because they were afraid I would be offended? It's all so confusing.

Well, I have the answer to this dilemma. I am going to wish everyone who reads this blog a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! If it offends you, get off my blog and go Bah! Humbug! yourself in the pie hole.... Politically incorrect? Indeed, and I prefer it that way.

Write on,

Mittster

A Christmas Season Wish

I wish the world Peace, Love, Prosperity, Health, Kinship, and Forgiveness. It is through forgiveness that our hearts sing and our souls stop crying.

Merry Christmas Season to all,

I'm just saying,

Mittster

In The Day

I really like the History Channel show, "American Pickers." It's hard to believe that we are living in the 21st century, yet there are people all over the world that still cling to old stuff in barns, garages and basements.

Why is that?

Well, first of all, keepers of old stuff are usually seniors. As a senior myself, I too have old stuff in the shed and nic-nac cabinet. We long for the good old days when life was simple and uncomplicated. Like The Old Man in Pawn Stars puts it, "We like to think about in the day, because it makes us feel good."

In the day was about honesty, truthfulness, being law abiding, a day's work for a day's pay, In God We Trust, children, Christmas with handmade presents, Easter egg hunts, Memorial Day parades with the United States flag flying everywhere, Fourth of July picnics at the park, Labor Day swimming at the pond, and Thanksgiving dinner with family from all four corners of the country.

Greed in the day was stealing a few cookies, while they were cooling, from the kitchen window. You could maybe tell a little white lie once in a blue moon and still feel good about yourself. Partying was snitching a little bottle of tequila from the camp trailer that was used for summer vacation and waking up with a horrible hangover, which kept you from doing it again. Marriage was for a lifetime and making love was for after you got married. Being neighborly and generous was normal, and saying the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance was not embarrassing.

I guess it all boils down to one thing. The past is gone, but we can still respect one another and our planet. It's not too late to get our standards back up to where they were when our forefathers brought forth this great country. Let's practice the Golden Rule and live today like the In The Day.

Write on, brother, write on....

Mittster