Merry Christmas to one and all

The Day has finally arrived! It’s Christmas morning and I’m feeling the Joy of the Season now as I put together these thoughts.

Throughout the Fall months we can see the whole Holiday Tableau laid out before us; We know that the crowning jewel of the Winter Holidays for so many — Christmas — is not so far away, but are still somehow taken by surprise once it’s actually here!

And it is here. And I’m delighted and just a tiny bit surprised that it’s here. Here in all its delightful splendor!

It’s true that I don’t go to a ton of trouble over Christmas these days. I think that there are so many of us who fall into that category. Haven’t put up a tree in a good many years. And presents… Well, gift cards are a godsend! And it’s not a very long list for this guy at this stage.

But I truly do love the season: the music, the Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men part, the Stars and Angels adorning the downtown light poles, all of it. And when I say I love the music, I mean the whole spectrum. Doesn’t matter if it’s Burl Ives and the Ray Coniff Singers or Andrea Bocelli and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I love all of it and have sung most of it with assorted Choruses and Choirs over the many years.

I don’t know what the Christmas Season means to you. But whether it’s a highlight of each year for you or something you would like to opt out of, I hope that this auspicious Day finds you well, surrounded by family and friends and filled with Serenity and Joy!

Ben Lawrence Basile

© 2021 Benjamin Lawrence Basile