The wind has gusted and the rain has fallen…Winter is almost here. Christmas Eve is a week away…and have you completed your Christmas shopping? I was in our Mall this morning and took note that Santa was upon his throne and prepared to take requests from all the children that would like to speak with him. The Mall was strangely almost empty…as our Pandemic has changed the manner in which we Christmas shop…along with the convenience of online shopping. About 1/3 of the people that I met had face masks on while 2/3 seemed oblivious to the danger of COVID 19 or the fact that it has robbed the lives of 1 of 100 of our senior citizens…of which I am a member in good standing. I recall the halcyon days of our University Mall when the halls were crowded with Holiday Shoppers and the stores were resplendent with Christmas decorations and Holiday music and sales that were compelling. Now…most of the stores are shuttered…Aaron and Jonathon and my favorite Pub…that I referred to as ‘Cheers’ …is shuttered…and Carbondale’s recovery is slow…but its people are strong…
Aaron and Jonathon and I love to visit Electric Larry’s Emporium. The owner is such a nice person and he has so many eclectic items of supreme interest to a Baby Boomer…like me. I have great respect for his opening a small business in our difficult Retail Environment. I purchased a lovely 1950’s Vintage Turquoise Ceramic California Pottery Ashtray…Saturday. There were two of them and I am thinking of going back to buy the other one.
We seek the Spirit of Christmas and the kindness of the Reformed Scrooge…and the faith of Tiny Tim. We long for those who will not judge us…but who will be kind to us…and love us…and take us into their family… We all wonder why we can not have Peace On Earth…as it seems that almost all of us want it… I enjoyed a Facebook Illustration a few minutes ago which showed a young woman holding a lovely Vase…she dropped the Vase and it shattered into shards…the third panel displays her holding the broken pieces…glued to a piece of cardboard and framed with the caption…Mosaic… Our lives are indeed…Mosaics. We all have been broken…many times…and yet we walk forward with our beautiful hues and brilliant colors and interesting shapes and molding that has been created by fire and pressure and now we are Diamonds…seeking acceptance and love…and kindness…
The Happy Traveler 
The new variant of the coronavirus that is running rampant across the world has put Christmas in its true perspective. Here the hospitality industry are crying out for money from the government to stop them going to the wall, saying that they need the Christmas trade to see them through the rest of the year. The people that supply to the hospitality industry is on out televisions showing warehouses full of boxes of turkey breasts, from cancelled orders. What happened to the Christmas message, the coming of a saviour that would bring ‘peace on earth to all men’ They have turned Christmas into a commercial bonanza. Maybe it is once again – time to turn over the table in the temple.