What Christmas does: short and longcomings

• It turns children into nervous wrecks
• It turns adults into nervous wrecks
• It turns can turn people into crying machines, at moments [see "being single at Christmas"]
• It brings up all those inadequecies people have about being with family, be it their actual family, their in-laws, or someone else's family [see "being a single or an International at Christmas"]
• It makes people who don't drink, drink
• It makes people consider, or attempt suicide
• It makes people go into debt over gifts that are known/unbeknownst to them returned for store credit

BUT, it also does these beautiful things:

• It makes people buy coats for strangers who don't have them
• It makes people really wonder what their friends might like (and sometimes they get it right)
• It makes people make amends with people (sometimes relatives) that they've been in conflict with
• It makes people who all year use Jesus' name as a curse word smile, when their favorite carol comes on the radio
• It makes everyone say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" days before, because you may not see that person on the actual day--so for a whole month, instead of not saying anything, you say "Have a nice holiday" to the person at the drycleaner, the gas station, the library
• It makes people string their houses (for 122 years now) with beautiful orbs of many colors that light up at night
• (and it makes strangers drive around and oooh and ahh at them)
• It makes people buy trees and decorate them with ornaments from Hallmark, their mom, and various other sentimental outlets
• It makes Unitarians put up nativity scenes in their houses
• It makes all sorts of people go to see their children perform songs at their schools
• It makes people travel 15 minutes or 15 hours to see loved ones [see "being an International at Christmas"]
• It makes people wear silly sweaters and silly hats and weird earrings
• It makes people throw parties where other people where sparkly clothing
• It makes people smile when snow is predicted

In short (or long) it is a magical time, with its own very noticeable shortcomings (or longcomings?). Over two thousand years ago, a teenage bride gave birth to a baby in a stable because their was no room at the Inn. Shepherds and kings came to visit him because of angels and stars. Whether or not he is the Savior of your life, the baby that was Jesus affected the world two thousand years ago and affects the world today. I hope it is in more of the longcomings than the shortcomings, but please do not ignore the signs of

• overspending
• suicidal tendencies
• nervous wreckage, by adults or children
• singles or Internationals or strangers

As Tiny Tim once said, God Bless them, every one! Happy Christmas to you and your kin! May the end of this year bring you hope for the year to come. And DON'T spill my coffee!