I am once again thinking there might be something in this Jesus thing after all.
I must assume, Curtis, you do not believe that Jesus was God. Christmas therefore is not the celebration of God's birthday as a newborn infant. If I have this right--No need to respond. You certainly make me think: There's a lot to say for atheism. If only Saint Francis of Assisi were here to post a response. But he's dead too--along with the Christ guy. I didn't expect anything less (writing-wise). I like people with fierce and passionate beliefs-as long as they are intelligent. So, this makes it for me. Thanks, Curtis. You got the right perception of the way things are now--but history would refute you--but can't. Merry Christmas. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: > > > > So you take your fresh ground coffee (preferably dark roast Sumatran) and you > brew it however you do, (I use one of those Bailetti Italian numbers you see > on the stove in every Sofia Loren movie) and then the magic begins. Having > tasted versions of "Christmas" blends through the years, I always thought I > could do better, but until this morning never took the trouble. I resisted > the temptation to drop in a soft peppermint (tomorrow I'm gunna) and went > right for the high grade dark coco powder, a sprinkle of cinnamon, sugar, and > some ginger and milk. Christmas blend perfection. I'm sure any version that > includes cloves would be great too. But it is the overly strong cloves that > I object to in the commercial mixes, aside from the fact that any pre-ground > coffee is a non starter in my kitchen. (Coffee oils are where God lives, and > God evaporates really quickly.) > > Speaking of God in his various human imagined personas, I am sipping my > yuletide brew while gazing on a nativity baby as pump as the churro stuffed > Honduran neighbor's kids who stomp up and down the stairs in their princess > dresses, but sound more like the prince's horse. (Type 2 diabetes coming > right up.) It is the nativity set from my youth rescued from my Dad's house's > attic as we emptied it out. It has a tiny wind-up music box that tinkles out > Silent Night, but slowed down by decades of mouse droppings no doubt. It > plays the song absentmindedly now in stops and starts, like an old man > slumped over the piano in the Alzheimers unit who can only manage a few notes > of the melody at a time before his mental ship sails away for a few moments. > > The song is doubly sentimental for me because as a ploy to get some Maharishi > darshon when he visited MIU my first Winter in '75, I put together a group to > sing him the song in German. (It is surprisingly not at all Nazi sounding > and is beautiful in that language, check it out: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUb8ySdERKs ) It actually worked to flush > out the old guru, and it was the longest time I had spent standing next to > him at that time. He kept us waiting for hours till the early morning, but > he was really gracious about it all, despite the fact that he despised > Christianity and looked so tired I thought he was going to fall over. After > we were done he asked for Age of Enlightenment songs. Emily Levin banged out > one of her saccharine ditties. Before he went back upstairs where he was > saving the world and all (banging groupies) he took a moment to look me in > the eye. It was a nice steady benevolent look, not exactly kind, a bit > curious, non committal but prolonged. For a guy as besotted as I was for the > dhotied one at the time, (or my imagination of him) it was my Christmas > miracle. I thanked him, and he floated off in a shower of Jai Guru Devs. > > Back to my nativity. The figures are some kind of plaster and my Dad > repainted them in garish Homer Simpson style, no doubt accompanied by more > than a bit of Dewar's Scotch, so that the wise men look like members of > George Clinton's Parliament- Funkadelic. There are oxen and sheep and an > adoring Mary, looking herself a bit sheepish, as Joseph beside her pretends > to believe her whopper of a tale of her divine pregnancy in a desperate bid > to keep his first century Courtney Stodden age-inappropriate hot wife with > him. "This better be the ONLY divinely conceived baby in this house Miss > Missy!" > > My eyes drift up to my walls with pictures of Santas from 1930's magazines > gaily puffing on cigarettes (damn I wish I was English and could say he was > sucking on a fag) while the copy makes claims of the throat soothing virtues > of Chesterfields. Throat soothing! I've got versions of them all over > thanks to Ebay, as if Santa had a walk-on part on Mad Men. > > I've got some hand carved camels made of olive wood led by a man on a donkey > who I can only assume is spending another Christmas in Guantanamo and someone > else is now leading these camels laden with the concentrated sap of the poppy > which I guess is the wink, wink, nudge, nudge, translation for "frankincense > and myrrh" > > I loves me some Christmas. It is an atheist version, but I don't let the > bastard child of a rapist ghost interfere with my nostalgia wallowing. If > you really listen to Christmas songs they are freak'n maudlin aren't they? > That hits my blues center just fine. I'm not even a hater of the > materialistic/commercial side of Christmas. I like being coerced into buying > presents with money I don't have, because otherwise I wouldn't do it, and > gift giving is a blast. (If you prime the pump with specific requests, the > receiving isn't so bad either.) > > The invention of the modern Christmas and many of its most iconic symbols and > traditions was pretty recently laid herky jerky on top of those wonderful > pagan contributions. (Let's get plastered and bring a tree into the hut!) > If some people want to believe that the arrival of one fat baby will give > their lives meaning, who really cares? (Oh yeah, I do when they put crèches > on the public courthouse lawn...) > > So to all my friends at FFL, I hope you play this version of All I Need for > Christmas is You (NOT the sappy Mariah Carey puke version, but the cool Vince > Vance and the Valiants version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VkMBi9vvw > > Brew yourself a steaming cup of your own version of Christmas coffee, (I'm > pretty sure Santa would pour some brandy, bourbon or scotch in his) and > contemplate that even though the baby Jesus story is just a human contrivance > meant to cover up the indiscretions of an overly hot young Mid Eastern woman > married by the barbaric customs of her day to an old coot with shriveled > olives, take heart. By the time the first crocuses are poking their noses out > of the snow, he will be executed for being the world's first Occupy Jerusalem > hippie. Wait, that wasn't the landing I was trying to stick > > Share that enhanced coffee with someone you love, turn the song up, and who > knows, you might get as lucky as the Holy Spirit). Love is my version of > Bethlehem's shining star that makes me get on my camel and ride into that > beautiful silent night. >