Ah, Christmas traditions. They are those little things that we remember about our childhood and continue to do with our families that make Christmastime special.
Some are spiritual in nature, like helping with Angel Trees, celebrating Advent and attending Christmas Eve candlelight service, good reminders to all of us that we celebrate Christmas because we‘re celebrating the gift that comes with the birth of God’s Son, Jesus.
Others are less spiritual in nature, but just as meaningful to us. Like putting up our Christmas tree the minute Thanksgiving is over, making cookies for friends, building perfectly imperfect gingerbread houses, watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and preparing and feasting on the White family recipe for clam chowder on Christmas Eve.
And then there’s the Christmas tradition that, my husband and I confess, is not nearly as contemplative or spiritual in nature, but indeed makes this the most wonderful time of the year for us as parents.
From about the time Halloween costumes are tucked away until Dec. 24, like most parents, we have a five-letter word that provides us with an inordinate amount of power and leverage in getting our three children, ages 9, 7 and 4, to obey: S-A-N-T-A. And, yes, after nine years of practice, it counts as a tradition.
My parents partook in a similar tradition when I was child. Only it wasn’t Santa we lived in fear of at Christmastime. It was Mr. Trundle, a shrewd, scary little elf or troll of sorts, who, according to my folks, was always peering in our windows at night, keeping a watchful eye on the four of us kids. If we disobeyed or acted unkindly to one another Mr. Trundle had a direct line to St. Nick, who was merciless to naughty little boys and girls.
And so the tradition lives on.
I know, it’s kind of pitiful. But from about Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, Chris and I put all of our usual disciplinary techniques and tricks (many of which we’ve actually paid good money to learn over the years) on hold and simply scare our kids into obeying by reminding them that Santa is always watching with something like: “If you even think about (insert grievous action word) your (insert innocent sibling) in the (insert vulnerable body part), you know what that will mean — you’ll get nothin’ for Christmas this year!”
Our kids usually go trembling away, hoping and praying that they haven’t been moved from Santa’s nice to naughty list this time. And their dad and I do a pretty good job keeping the three of them guessing right up to the very last minute.
So, our children have a slightly modified view of the jolly, old, bearded fellow who is internationally and historically known for bestowing love, joy and gifts to children all around the world on Christmas Day (which explains why they are always just a wee bit apprehensive about sitting on his lap each year). But that’s OK with us. It’s a fine price to pay, we think, for a couple of months of fairly good behavior out of them.
What we’re still working on, however, is helping 4-year-old Will, who’s relatively new to Christmas itself, to figure all this stuff out.
Just a few nights ago, around the dinner table our little man was in charge of saying the mealtime prayer. It went something like this: “Dear God, thank you for my mom, my dad, my sisters, the peas on my plate — and thank you for Christmas. Oh, and thank you, Santa, that you made Baby Jesus. I love you, Santa. Amen.”
Of course, his two older (and so much wiser) sisters immediately tried to correct their little brother’s theology by telling them that — Hello?! — God made Santa, not the other way around.
But it was no use. For, in the mind of our baby boy, Santa was now officially a member of the Holy Trinity.
Oops!
empgazfan (anonymous) says...
The little tyke is right, so don't correct him. Santa IS part of the holy trinity. In fact, he is almost all of it. Lord Santa, along with the wild unrestrained spending and unbridled snobby consumption of Chinese goods He represents, is the true symbol of Christmas. Lord Santa is the true Christ. Every follower of Lord Santa pumps far more money into Santa's coffers than those of the insignificant jesus. When Lord Santa appears in a mall, women grab their tykes and queue up for half a mile to hail Him and pose for pictures with Him. No so for any image of jesus.
December 19, 2010 at 8:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I can't disagree, empgaz. I can see where agencies like the Salvation Army have figured this out and for many years now, outfit bell ringers to look like Santa. Maybe not around here, but in many large areas of the country, they do. Good comment.
December 19, 2010 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
empgazfan
You have the amazing ability to say things I find so much to agree with....in a way that is so hard for me to swallow. And yet, the way you say it makes people listen before they call you stupid and say you don't know what you are talking about. When I say it they don't listen...... they just say I am stupid and don't know what I am talking about.
December 19, 2010 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The point is to disagree with the opinion itself, and not the person. That would be a flaw in argument -- argumentum ad hominem. Just as you and I sometimes disagree on opinions we have posted, very recently on the tagging issue.
Sometimes I too agree with empgazfan, but at other times, he irritates me to the point of attacking his character, however, as I did when he complained that his collection of porn was turned down when he tried to donate it to the folks putting together boxes for the troops. I can only argue that something like that indicates a character flaw when the guy can't discern between what is appropriate and what is not.
December 19, 2010 at 11:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
create
I really don't want to jump back into that much at the moment. But I hope as tempers cool you will be able to accept that I was not targeting your opinion or you.....I was (as is often the case with empgazfan) upset with the way you were saying it, because I felt it was counterproductive. But as you and I have both noted the more dramatic delivery often has the most impact.
And I have accepted that whatever I was trying to do with my criticism on the thread was presented terribly by me for it to have had the affect that it did. I apologize for that. What bothered me the most was condescending. I hate condescending people yet am often accused of it. So when I am it's not because I am trying to be. Peace.......?
December 19, 2010 at 12:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
He sees you when your sleeping?
He knows when you're awake?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edNwLw...
December 19, 2010 at 3:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Peace? Sure. Goodwill toward biscuit. Sometimes our blog friends get worried when the fires start.
Good one, REWBA. Did you notice that video is put out by lolovideos? Lolo means stupid in Hawaiian. You know what Pakalolo is, right? Now you know why they call it that.
December 19, 2010 at 7:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
So Paka is tobacco?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1vBb...
December 19, 2010 at 8:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
empgazfan (anonymous) says...
Buiscuit, I simply speak my mind and describe what I see. I speak what many people are thinking but are too polite to speak out loud. Many call me stupid; many call me gross, uncouth, offensive and pathetic. Many call me many names. But when they are through with all that, many of them agree I make a very good point. I challenge sacred and long-accepted norms when I judge they should be. I never follow the herd. My heroes are the likes of Luther, Copernicus, Galileo, Einstein and others who were brave enough to say, "No, everything you are saying makes no sense. There has to be a better explanation."
December 19, 2010 at 8:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
empgazfan
If everybody always accepted conventional wisdom.....and never challenged conventional thought. If everybody always just accepted everything they were told and never challenged what authority told them was the only way to look at things.
We would all still be living in the cave. Because after all, the cave was alright for our grandparents....it should do fine for us also.
But our history of human development has been one constantly evolving change. And it has alwyas been diven by those that thought out of the box.
December 20, 2010 at 4:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Good one, REWBA. I had never heard that particular "number" by Don Ho.
You know, his mother owned a neighborhood bar called "Honey's" in my home town -- a rowdy place on weeknights, but on Fridays and Saturdays, the crowds would be more cool-headed. The place would be packed and there would be a cover-charge. That's when Don would play guitar and ukulele and sing. In fact, that's where he got his start. Later he took his talent to a place he opened called Don Ho's in the International Market Place in Waikiki where he serenaded tourists nightly with a much acclaimed floor show. He had hula dancers, sword dancers, fire dancers, and the big deal every night, several tourists invited onstage for a hula lesson. One of my cousins was a dancer in the floor show. Don Ho's was a fixture in Waikiki for many, many years. It was a tourist must-see. We always took our out-of-town guests to see his show.
Paka isn't necessarily tobacco. It's more like something useless or scornful. A weed is useless, for example. My grandmother often used the term to indicate something she didn't want. Cleaning out a closet, for example, we'd hold up an item and she would use a hand gesture as if to say to throw it away. "Paka, paka" she would say. Some might use the term to describe disagreeable people too. "Pakiki" means stubborn, for example.
I've heard people around here use the term "pakalolo" when they think they're using some foreign term correctly. The word lolo goes far deeper than simply meaning "stupid," however. It's often used to describe serious mental deficiencies too.
As you might guess, there is a lot of language borrowing in the Islands. The Japanese term for something or someone useless is Bakatare. Baka- ta-day.
I wonder what the term is for hijacking a thread?
December 20, 2010 at 6:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
empgazfan,
Thinking out of the box is one thing, yes. In fact, that is the root of creativity. Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
However, being rude and downright disrespectful and inappropriate just to make a point is not something the great thinkers would accept.
December 20, 2010 at 6:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I agree create......How's that old saying go?.....You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
December 20, 2010 at 7:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )