"‘Tis the Season" - Commentary by Tony Seton

‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the season...when people rush hither-‘n-yon doing everything last-minute so they don’t even have the time to say "It is the season." It’s not clear what keeps them so busy. Have they been shopping? Dunno. The news report retail cheer and gloom in alternating headlines. It seems all about retail sales. ‘Tis a curious way to judge the season.

Many companies have been hawking gift certificates, for those people who haven’t the time to think for themselves. Well, sure it’s nice to be able to choose what you want, but it means so much more that a friend has thought about you enough to decide on something by herself. That’s what Christmas is supposed to be about, after all; thinking, not just a transfer of funds. (And no, I don’t believe in exchanging wish lists, or even providing a receipt so that something can be returned.)

However well the stores did before Christmas, many retailers will be rocking on Boxing Day. That’s the 26^th, so named because on the day after Christmas, the British would give small boxes (gifts) to the butcher, milkman, postal person, et cetera. Anyway, in the US of A, it is one of the most important days of the year, as tens of millions of shoppers hit the malls with a fervor that would alarm a snake-handler. Many people are returning and exchanging, some are cashing in their gift certificates, while still others are taking advantage of shelf-clearing prices on holiday stuff.

It was my plan to be flying back from the East Coast this Christmas Day, but I’m self-grounded with a persistent cough. Depending on the weather, I may drive up to Mendocino, a delightful hamlet on the coast three hours away. I would enjoy a spot of lunch, walk around the bluffs that stand up to the Pacific, and then toodle down the coast. Or I may curl up in a bunch of blankies on the floor, watch "Thin Man" movies, and eat unnutritious stuff ‘til I go blind.

If I had family nearby, family with children, I might find myself in more of a celebratory mood, but I don’t and I’m not. Nor am I feeling curmudgeonly...a true sign of spiritual beneficence. So with a wan but sincere smile and ever so warm a heart, I wish to all of you and to those who are important in your lives, a very Merry Christmas in the religion of your choice.

And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.