Joy is a bit difficult to define…but you know it when you feel it. During the Christmas Season, we seek something to react with our emotions that will subsequently bring us that elusive joy that songs have been written about. We hope that our Christmas shopping will go well…or at least as planned. We labor to ensure that our decorations are eye-catching and somewhat better than our neighbors. During Advent, we desire our Pastor to read the passages from scripture that resonate with our personal Christmas. We donated to the poor children in order that they might have a better Christmas…we give to the needy in hopes that the spirit of the Enlightened Scrooge will drop upon us and we will magically understand the Reason For The Season… Some of us stand upon our soapbox and proclaim with righteous indignation…that we do not say Happy Holidays…we proclaim…Merry Christmas… We that perform this Christmas Theatre equivocate God’s Fiery Anger…with the meek and mild birth of our Saviour in a barn…

Christmas Magic is supposed to fall upon us from Heaven…with the Christmas Star to show brightly upon our dark path. Somehow we have not perceived that the Magic of Christmas rests in our hearts. It is not Chrismas reacting with us…it is us reacting with the birth of Jesus and the wonderful promise of the Season. MJ and I visited with a wonderful Physicians Assistant today. This woman, Misha, is full of joy and gives peace and hope to all that she meets. Combined with receiving much better news than you feared that you might…the Christmas Trees show more brightly and the Christmas Carols have a deeper meaning.

As if it were but yesterday…I remember riding to Eldorado with my buddy, Steve, in his 1950’s Chrysler. In the back seat

a lovely landscape picture that I had purchased at Down’s Furniture in Elkville. I purchased it on time because I did not have the $25 dollars to pay for it outright. Christmas In The Country was playing on the radio…and there was snow on the ground…and it was cold…and I felt like a millionaire who just had yet to count his money…

‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…’

All seemed calm…all seemed bright. Santa was watching Turner Classic Movies…as he liked the vintage films. Mrs. Claus was fast asleep down the hall in her bedroom after drinking two tumblers of Extraordinary Egg Nog that was manufactured in her Christmas Egg Nog and Spirits Shoppee that was adjacent to Santa’s Work Shop. Carolyn Claus had been an Egg Nog maker when she met Santa…many Christmases ago. Her Egg Nog was considered the best in the land of Christmas and it was fortified with her secret recipe… Most of the elves could not remain awake after just one tumbler of Nog…but they were short… Carolyn was a 2 tumbler girl…but she often had to hold on the hallway walls…and indeed Humphrey the Head Elf in Charge of Manufacturing had placed handrails…like you see on a Cruise Liner…along the walls of the oaken hallway…for the First Lady to hold on to as she made her way to her slumber.

Humphrey was especially concerned as to what toys and crafts and gifts should Santa be delivering around the world for Christmas 2021. It had been an unusually hectic year with the ongoing Pandemic and labor shortages…yes…even at the North Pole. However…the supply line slowdowns did not affect Santa’s Operation…as he personally delivered all gifts… Now last year the Craft Shop had focused on games and toys that could be played with inside the children’s homes…due to the worldwide lockdowns resulting from COVID. But this year was critical…in Humphrey’s mind…there needed to be a practical application of Santa’s Magical powers…to help put the world back on track. Humphrey believed with enough elves and enough means of conveyance…and partnering with the medical community…Santa could make a difference in stopping the Pandemic…

Trains…were the answer. Santa Trains across the Globe…loaded with COVID Vaccinations for every member of the human family. Of course, the Trains could fly just like Santa’s sleighs….and they could also travel on land into the many remote parts of the Earth that have forgotten people. These trains could carry the essentials of a happy life for the children and the parents and all of the hurting and lonely people of the world. It would carry school desks for those who have none in their school. It would deliver clothes for the ill-clad and food for the ill-fed and educational tools like paper and pencils and multiplication tables and coloring books…and a COVID Vaccine for everyone who had not received one…and nurses to administer the Vaccination…

It was a Marshall Plan for the Pandemic. Santa had thought throughout our Pandemic how relevant he could be to the solving of it. He had watched as governments and peoples and tribes and nations had brought forth numerous ideas for the amelioration of the Plague…and how many had been satisfied with ignoring it for their Idols and Totems…and their own perceived benefit… As is customary…the poor countries of the planet were left…by and large…to figure out how to vaccinate their people…and it did not happen. The rich countries of the Earth focused on their citizens and crowed for their own political gain…and wondered why their herculean efforts had not stopped our Pandemic… Santa and Humphrey set up a meeting with all of the work-force of the North Pole Operation.

Rudolph asked Donder if he knew what the big meeting was about…this close to Christmas. Donder said that he had heard that Christmas would last a week this year. The Jolly Old Elf had developed a plan to literally visit every; igloo and hut and Flat and to not miss a single person for his special gifts. The Santa Trains would begin to fly on December 17 and end on Christmas Morning. ‘If I could have all of your attention…please,’ said Santa. ‘I tell you this every year that I could not perform this Magical and Mystical feat without each of your hard work and perseverance,’ Santa said. He continued, ‘This year is special and it is different…our world is suffering under a terrible malady of fear and loneliness and illness…and death.’ ‘The wealthy countries of our world have done little to help their poor neighbors…so we must do what we can,’ Santa said with a tear in his eye. ‘Are you all with me,’ Santa asked?

Tears of joy cascaded down the cheeks of every elf and reindeer and Mrs. Claus…’Three cheers for Santa Claus’ cried, Rudolph…

Santa was old and arthritic…and he had just returned from his doctor in Destin, Florida…who had told him to retire…for his health…but he could not resist attempting to do his best to help the ‘Apples of His Eye’…the Children of The World…

Humphrey cried, out…’Oh my God…we have to make the Trains!’

It is difficult to believe that today is the first day of December. Where has autumn gone? Where has 2021 gone? This year was our emergent year from our Pandemic. We received our vaccination jabs in the late winter and the early spring…and believed that happy days were here again. No face masks for us who had received the vaccine…until the ‘Break-Thru COVID’ cases began appearing.

During our May Maine Holiday, it finally dawned on me that restaurants across our country were experiencing severe labor shortages. Prior to that we were at our favorite restaurant, Cunetto’s House of Pasta that is located on the Hill in St. Louis, Missouri, and witnessed that only half of the establishment was open due to not enough help.

I was in Kroger supermarket yesterday and there was the strange combination of many empty shelves and two manned check-out areas with lines that snaked around the aisle… Life has changed for us…and we are yet to understand…how much. And, so, we are seekers of solutions and answers to our new reality…as well as the individualized reality that each of us live with on a daily basis.

Christmas has come again. One of my blogger friends asked, ‘Why do we have to include religion in everything?’ I think his question is valid. I have been a Christian for over 50 years. I became a Christian because the love of Christ compelled me… I have been a member of 4 churches during the past over 5 decades. Some for much longer periods than others. First Presbyterian Church of Carbondale is my longest and I am sure that I have found my natural Church Home. It seems to me that there is the religion that many enjoy proclaiming and broadcasting…and there is the ‘Quiet Faith’ that you go to bed at night with and wake up the next morning…with the same desire to seek and understand God and your role in his creation and his plan… The people of faith that I want to be my mentor are those that never feel the need to announce their faith. They quietly go about doing good unto others…and look for neither recognition nor praise…and are embarrassed when someone mentions their good service to their fellow woman/man.

Church simply does not have all of the answers that you seek. The congregation is a gathering of honest hearted people that are seeking the faith… Many churches garner large attendance by assuring those in their midst that they have the dogmatic and final answer from God and that their leader heard from him personally…this morning… We humans like certainty and definitive answers. But, ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.’

The Quiet Christian…sees a hungry person…and feeds them…and a lonely person…and they sit with them and learn of them and become their friend. They pray for those in need…not because another human gives them the definite answer that God answers prayers…but because they have faith that he does…

Christmas is coming…and the lonely need a friend…the hungry need something to eat…the homeless need shelter…

Seeking God…and religion…and faith…can be found in the eyes of your neighbor…who you practice loving…as you love yourself…

Rudolph said that he had received a belly full. He noted that his kids needed braces on their teeth and that he had been sick with Covid for two months and that his North Pole insurance did not cover the at home care that he received all November…nor the constant haranguing telephone calls from Santa’s Aid…Brittany…who would first ask a cursory question as to his health and then came the real question…when was he going to return to work… He told the Reindeers that were assembled at the Union Meeting that he had tried in vain to contact Santa directly…but could not reach him…as he was in Florida…seeing his doctor…or as Rudolph asked the group, ‘How many of you would like to have a doctor in Florida…or how many of you have ever been to Florida?

Comet said that he had been counting on his Christmas Bonus and that he not only had seen nothing of it…but that his wife Bridgett…was very upset as he had promised her a holiday in the Caribbean after Christmas… He mentioned that he had spoken to Mrs. Claus about his families need for a pay raise to keep his kids in Charter School and Bridgett in new shoes and Holiday Apparel.

Cupid proclaimed that the roof on his house needed to be replaced and although he brought toys to every good little boy and girl…his kids often went wanting…due to lack of funds. He wondered if the message of their dissatisfaction had ever reached the ears of Mr. Claus…or had been stopped by his underlings… He went on to say that Mrs. Claus was super protective off the Old Elf…and did not want to see him upset.

Blitzen chimed in that he did not think that Santa was aware of the problem…or he would provide a solution. He said that Santa had told him that he would help him get a condo in Destin…if he wanted one. Blitzen told Santa that he truly enjoyed the Beach Air and the white sands of Destin, Florida.

Santa appeared in the midst of the assembled Reindeer. ‘What is wrong my faithful children, Santa asked? ‘Without each of you…I could not be a joy to the world’s children…you are more important than I am, Santa said! ‘I just got back from Destin…and I feel much better after a little time on the beach…and I want to give you each a small token of my appreciation for you, the Jolly Old Elf said. ‘I am giving each of you a new condo and a 30% pay raise…and a membership in the Jelly Of The Month Club,’ laughed Santa…

Billy B. and Chet were watching the Reindeer meeting of the AFL-CIO… The Reindeer began to dance and sing, ‘Who is the King of Christmas…You are the King of Christmas!’

Humphrey the Elf…heard the joyful singing…and wondered what the Reindeer were so happy about…

It is warmer today…and it will be warmer tomorrow…and Thursday is forecast for a high temperature in the 70’s. A possible meteorological record for December 2nd. Jonathon and I have carefully placed the remainder of the Christmas decorations…although I am pondering getting two more Nativities out of the blue storage bin. The Omicron variant of COVID – 19 is frightening the world. We are nearly 2 years into our Pandemic…with no end in sight. We all have things to do…and places to go…and people to see…but our Pandemic is not only not cooperating…but it continues to illustrate with non-partisan ferocity…that it is not only real…but is a problem for all of us…that is not easily solved.

Our forbears dealt with many devasting diseases. From Polio to Tuburcleois to Small Pox…disease has ravaged the human population. The Spanish Flu Pandemic began in February 1918 and ended in April 1920 with an estimated 500 million cases. I was in our local Cracker Barrel Restaurant Sunday and observed that although the facility was packed with people…almost no one was wearing face masks. Several people stared at me…and my Van Gough Face Mask. Perhaps they were admiring ‘Starry Night?’

We may not see the end of our Pandemic if the United States does not commit to vaccinating the world…America First…is not an option…variants that develop in other countries…come here…and kill our people. We must learn the tearful lesson that we are all members of the same human family…and that, ‘We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea. and we owe each other a terrible loyalty. G.K. Chesterton

Twenty-four degrees in Carbondale…with a chill factor of 12 degrees. It was cold enough to cause pain almost immediately. Raul and Rebecca had been staying in an apartment that had been cold on a mild late fall day. The door had a wide gap along the threshold and the single- paned windows rattled as the wind shook them to the extent that Rebecca believed that the glass would break. Raul had lost his job picking fruit in the orchards of Little Egypt…and the remainder of he and Rebecca’s money had been spent on doctor’s visits as Rebecca was ‘Great with child.’ Raul was a proud man and he and Rebecca had journeyed to the United States…fleeing for their lives from the local drug lord in Guatemala…who had threatened to kill them if they would not sell drugs for him. Raul had witnessed his brother being murdered by the Drug Cartel.

Mrs. Westbrook lived upstairs and coughed inncessantly from either a cold or Covid…and Rebecca fixed her hot soup and baked bread for her neighbor. Rebecca looked in Mrs. Westbrook’s refrigerator and found one egg and a half can of dog food for her dog Bruiser…a Boston Terrier. Mrs Westbrook had been a teacher at Carbondale Grade School. She had no family left…and far less money than her monthly expenses allowed for. She often had to choose between her prescriptions or food…and her thermostat was set on 50 degrees. Bruiser was a loyal companion to Mrs Westbrook. He was 12 and had seen a lot of life. He remembered when he was two years old and he and his friend attended a Christmas dinner invitation from Beth, one of Mrs. Westbook’s former third grade pupils. His friend laughed more than he had ever seen her. She talked of old times and her years teaching and her husband, Jock, who had passed away twenty years ago…and then they came home…and warmed themselves by the fireside of their memories.

Ronnie lived in the other apartment of the three in the complex. Ronnie was somewhat autistic…but he had worked all of his life. He spent his career at first KMart and when it closed he began working at Walmart and Kroger. Ronnie always greeted everyone that he met with, ‘Greetings, my friend!’ He loved people…and he loved Jesus. His mom lived with him until her death in 1989. Ronnie lived on a small Social Secuity Check that he received monthly. He enjoyed eating peanut butter and french fries. During the Christmas Season he put out his mom’s aluminum Christmas Tree and the Nativity that he had purchased at KMart…30 years ago. He loved to watch Christmas movies on his 12 inch tube television. He had rabbit ears on his little TV…as he could not afford cable… Ronnie had a red Santa Hat that he wore during the Holidays…and for the past several years he had served as a Bell Ringer for the Salavation Army…which was a point of great personal pride for him. Ronnie did Mrs Westbrook’s grocery shopping since she had fallen ill…and he saved $50 for Rebecca to see her doctor…before her baby was born…Ronnie called the unborn baby…Baby Jesus…

Jonathon and I finished putting out the Christmas Decorations. Each year when we do so…it seems that it was but a short time since we had placed them back in the Christmas Closet. I remember with great joy MJ and my careful placement of the new Nativity scene in a place of prominence in our little four-room house in Elkville, Illinois…for Aaron’s First Christmas. Christmas 1981 was a special time…we were parents…and I had searched the bungalow for the instruction manual for New Parents… The Nativity was handmade and hand-painted and it was like nothing that we had ever laid our eyes upon. In those halcyon days of our local University Mall…it was literally full of patrons and Christmas Kiosks and Holiday revilers. When we found our Nativity…we knew we were on the road to a bright parenting future… Along with the Nativity we purchased a six-foot Christmas Tree and all of the ornaments to rest upon it…many at the DuQuoin Walmart. Nothing would do for us but to buy Aaron all manner of age-appropriate toys…Fischer Price and more…but he enjoyed nothing more than the wind-up swing that he swung in for hours on end…especially at night…when he…and thus we…could not sleep.

Of the few photos that I have of my early childhood in Chicago…there is one of me sitting between my mom and dad…under an enormous Christmas Tree. The picture illustrates our holiday cheer and mom is decked out in her slacks and a Christmas Blouse with her ever-present red lipstick… Dad looks quite happy and content as the breadwinner and provider for our Holiday Revelry. I am about 3…and I remember the Christmas Photo being snapped. That Chicago Christmas was magical…as seen through the eyes of a 3-year-old. My favorite gift that year was Laughing Santa. He was a little Santa with a crank protruding out of his back that when you turned it…he laughed the most unique laugh. Laughing Santa’s annual appearance through the ongoing Christmases resulted in my affinity for the Jolly Old Elf…to this day.

Teddy Ruxpin Christmas was special in remembering the short life of Mr. Ruxpin. Jonathon had asked for the Talking Teddy Bear…Teddy Ruxpin for some time. MJ and I were so pleased that we had one for him to open on Christmas Morning. When he saw the mysterious bear who could talk and his mouth moved to illustrate that he was really saying the words that were on the cassettes tape that fit in a player in his back…he was mesmerized… Teddy was the height of 1980’s technology. As we sat enjoying our Christmas Wassail…Jonathon entered with a question…why wouldn’t Teddy Talk? In an effort to cause Mr. Ruxpin to speak more rapidly…Jonathon had accidentally removed his lower lip…

It became clear on Sunday, November 28th that Santa was missing. Clarence…his valet and special assistant had gone to wake him at the customary time…and he was not in his massive mahogany bed. He and Mrs. Claus slept in separate bedrooms due to Santa’s habit of loud snoring. Mrs. Claus was not herself without her usual 10 hours of sack time. However, since it was less than a month to Christmas…both of the Claus has been working 18 hour days…and Santa…at times slept on a hideaway bed in his office that is adjacent to the Toy Factory. He had recently hired his first two children as his Special Assistants in Charge of Toy Satisfaction…

Billy B. and Chet had applied for the jobs last Christmas but due to the Pandemic, they were not able to join the Toy Production Team at the North Pole. But this morning…they were the first two people that Clarence reported to…that Santa was neither in his Big Bed…nor sleeping in his office and that the last time he was seen was at noon yesterday. Yesterday around 9:00 A:M: Santa had told Jane, his factory floor manager, that he was not feeling well and thought that he might go and get a Covid test to ensure that he did not have the virus. Humphrey, the elf in charge of packaging and shipping, said that Santa had told him that he was so cold that he felt, ‘Chilled to the bone.’ Humphrey went on to speculate that Santa might have gone to Florida to warm up…

Suddenly, Daryl walked into Santa’s Office with his dad, The Wiz, and he suggested that they take a couple of reindeer to Destin, Florida to determine if Santa was at his condo on Miramar Beach. It was an established fact that Santa loved Miramar Beach and his condo. He spent at least 3 months per year enjoying the ocean and the wonderful warm sunshine…which eased the arthritic pain that he suffered…especially as he had gotten older. It was out of character for Santa to leave the North Pole prior to his work on Christmas Day…but then again…everything had been different during the Pandemic.

Toy Satisfaction came with a Toy Bag Full of Responsibility… Chet and Billy B. quickly agreed that The Wiz had a good idea and they subsequently all climbed into Santas personal sleigh that he used for quick trips to individual children…usually those who were ill…or very sad…and they flew to Destin. Jane joined them…and in the blink of an eye…they were there. You see the Santa Sleighs all ran on Santa Magic and Yuletide Good Cheer…which was very fast…indeed! They knocked on the door to Santa’s condo…and out came Mrs. Claus. She said that they were just getting ready to return to the North Pole and had flown to Destin…for an overnighter to visit Santa’s Doctor to take the Covid Test…and then take a dip in the Ocean and sometime in the Hot Tub…

Chet was awakened by his pastor closing the Sunday Church Service with a Blessing for the Congregation. There was his mom, Thelma, and Billy B. and Jane and Daryl and The Wiz…and Santa…sitting on the corner pew…winking at him…and disappearing…

Thanksgiving was a lovely event with Ron and Ira Kaye joining us in the festivities. There was smoked turkey and dressing and cherry pie and pecan…as well. The family favorite of Brocolli Casserole…made an appearance and Green Bean Casserole… her companion. Ira Kaye brought some wonderful bread and MJ made well-buttered mash potatoes to complete the ensemble. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was on all televisions and that followed by The National Kennel Club Dog Show. Baileys Irish Cream for our coffee and vodka for our orange juice…kept us in the holiday spirit.

Yesterday we attempted to recreate our wonderful experience of a Ghost Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland…by attending a Ghost Tour of the Lemp Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri. We had a delicious dinner at the Lemp Mansion. ‘The Lemp Mansion is a historical house in Benton Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is also the site of three suicides by Lemp family members after the death of the son Fredrick Lemp, whose William J. Lemp Brewing Co. dominated the St. Louis beer market before Prohibition with its Falstaff beer brand. The mansion is said to be haunted by members of the Lemp family.’ ‘According to the Missouri History Museum, Life Magazine included the Lemp Mansion in an article on America’s nine most haunted houses in 1980.’ Wikipedia

Last night we took a tour of the neighborhood surrounding the Lemp Mansion and the Lemp Brewery and concluded the tour by going into 4 of the Lemp Brewery Basements. The Tour included information regarding one of the residents of the neighborhood…being a prime suspect for Jack the Ripper… Also discussion about a serial killer in the 1980s murdering his victims in the basements that we were standing in… The excellent presentation regarding the Lemp Family was the best part of the Tour and was the highlight of the event and it took place on a very cold evening outside the Lemp Mansion.

As I lay in bed last night I wondered…what possessed me to want to spend the night in a haunted house. I was reminded of the funny movie with the actor, Don Knotts, ‘The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. The suites were a fantastic representation of 19th Century Architecture. Our Tour Guide spoke of learning that one of the women that was murdered by the serial killer during the 1980s had been kept in what was called the pit…and we were standing in close proximity to it. He went on to say that once when he was in the area alone he heard a voice which told him, ‘Don’t Leave.’ When he subsequently began to leave he heard…’ Stay.’ A few years ago he said that he had a Psychic Researcher who specialized in auditory psychic research…who told him that the spirit of a young woman had told her that she was kept captive in a white room. At that time the Tour Guide said that he had been in every room that he had access to and that there was no ‘White Room.’ Two years later he gained access to additional parts of the Brewery and discovered a white-tiled room that had been the vault of the Brewery.