It is December 23^rd and there are only two days until Christmas.  Two Days!  I can hardly wait.   

By now you have all seen the ads proving that you should have waited to go shopping.  Oh well, I tried to tell you.  Today is the birthday of Pieter C. Bockenberg, Giacomo Puccini and Paul Hornung.  On this day in 1779, Benedict Arnold was court-martialed for improper conduct.  In 1888 Vincent van Gogh cut off his left ear.  In 1996, four women were ordained priests in Jamaica, the first women in the 330-year Anglican history.  It is Victory Day in Egypt and John Canoe Day in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Realistically, for my family, there is only one day until Christmas.  I am Italian-by-marriage and we celebrate on Christmas Eve.  The kids come up and we all exchange gifts and eat snacks and drink.  Then, we do a big meal, with seafood as the focal point.  Calamari and linguini, stuffed clams, shrimp, flounder, stuffed peppers, etc.  and we eat until we can’t eat anymore.  We relax for a few minutes and then have fruit and candy.  This holds us until the coffee is ready and the desserts are put out.

They claim that the calories you consume on holidays don’t count and you can just go ahead and eat.  That is as good an excuse as any.  I think it is all in how you look at it.  I have always felt that I am not overweight, I am under tall.  By the time the holiday is over, I should be around 7 feet, 3 inches.  I know that I am not going to grow anymore, so I just have to be satisfied with being short.

Now, I recognize that it is important to watch your weight for health reasons.  I am not disputing that.  I just feel that there are times when you have to let go and just eat.  It is part of the celebration, part of the enjoyment of the holiday.  I try not to eat to excess, but again it is all in how you look at it.  In my mind, “to excess” is when I eat all the snickerdoodles and not share them with anyone else.  This after I have eaten any candy with dark chocolate and/or caramel.

The big problem that I see is that too many people go overboard with this type of issue.  Some years ago there was a group of people who were trying to get everyone to have Santas who were skinny.  They felt that fat Santas were setting a bad example for kids.  As we all know, children are overweight because Santa is.  They know he eats cookies at every house, so they want to eat cookies, too.  My question is this, if Santa is their role model, why don’t we see more children dressed in red suits, giving away toys?  

Does it occur to people that kids eat cookies and candy because they like them?  There are plenty of people who do not observe Christmas and Santa, but still have children with a weight problem.  How about if we encourage our kids to go outside and play rather than sitting in front of the TV, computer or video game?  The other question I have is when did it become my problem that your kid is fat?  But I digress …

As I said, Christmas Eve is when we celebrate.  Christmas morning, the kids are home, opening the presents that Santa brought and that they bought for each other.  The lovely Elaine and I partake in our new Christmas morning ritual.  We have breakfast and then put coffee in travel mugs, play Christmas music on the outside speakers and go in the hot tub.  

Let me just remind everyone that this is a season of happiness, joy, family, love, good food, friends and fun.  Just because you do not celebrate the holiday, does not mean you cannot enjoy the season.  At this time of year, we should all take the time to have some fun, get together with family or friends and just enjoy life for a few days.  Take the time to give your loved ones a hug and let them know that you care about them.

At the risk of being politically incorrect, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  May the peace and joy that is the season be with you all.