“Dwell Not Upon the Past”
What has become of Christmas? Today is Christmas Eve, a day of fondest childhood memories. But for a grown man, much of the enchantment of the occasion is lost. Dickens wrote:
There are people who will tell you that Christmas is not to them what it used to be–that each succeeding Christmas has found some cherished hope or happy prospect of the year before, dimmed or passed away–and that the present only serves to remind them of reduced circumstances and straitened incomes–of the feasts they once bestowed on hollow friends, and of the cold looks that meet them now, in adversity and misfortune.
When I consider the suffering of others–the Hard Times in which Dickens lived (rim shot!)–and contrast it with my own many blessings, I shame myself with the slightest intimations of self pity by conjuring recollections of Christmas past.
Never heed such dismal reminiscences. There are few men who have lived long enough in the world who cannot call up such thoughts any day of the year. Then do not select the merriest of the three hundred and sixty-five for your doleful recollections, but draw your chair nearer the blazing fire–fill the glass, and send round the song–and, if your room be smaller than it was a dozen years ago…put a good face on the matter…and troll off the old ditty you used to sing, and thank God it’s no worse.
So, with that in mind, Merry Christmas. God bless Us, Every One!
Filed under: Musings, Nostalgia, Special Occasions on December 24th, 2008 | No Comments »