Christmas Eve 2022

This post was done by Grenville, a co-administrator but less frequent blogger.

One of my all time favorite Christmas albums is Alabama Christmas by the American country music band, Alabama. I’ve been listening to it every year for almost 50 years. There is a song on the album called Tonight is Christmas. It talks of love, harmony, peace on earth. All of the lofty ideals we strive to live by during the year and wish for again at Christmas. And, this year I’m wishing for it harder than ever.

The factories are all shut down and the shopping malls are all closed
And the busy streets are all empty except for the falling snow
And in the small towns, in the cities families gather as one
'Cause the night of love and sharing they look forward to has come
'cause tonight is Christmas, tonight is love
Tonight we celebrate God's one and only son
Tonight there's hope for peace on earth eternally
Tonight is Christmas and the world's in harmony

Like Cindy Lou Who in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas many of us may be wondering:

Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

For myself, it’s Bill Murray (Frank Cross) in the movie Scrooged who gives a glimmer of hope in this speech at the end of the 1988 film. (The film is a 1988 fantasy comedy film directed by Richard Donner and based on the 1843 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.) 

It's Christmas Eve! It's... it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we... we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be. It's a... miracle. It's really a sort of a miracle. Because it happens every Christmas Eve. And if you waste that miracle, you're gonna burn for it, I know what I am talking about. You have to do something. You have to take a chance. You do have to get involved. 

There are people that are having... having trouble making their miracle happen. There are people that don't have enough to eat, or people that are cold. You can go out and say hello to these people. You can take an old blanket out of the closet and say "Here!", you can make them a sandwich and say "Oh, by the way, here!" I... I get it now! And if you... if you give, then it can happen, then the miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and the hungry, it's everybody's who's gotta have this miracle! 

And it can happen tonight for all of you! If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won't be one of these bastards who says "Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud", it's NOT! It can happen every day, you've just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it! You'll want it every day of your life and it can happen to you! I believe in it now! I believe it's going to happen to me now! I'm ready for it! And it's great. It's a good feeling, it's really better than I've felt in a long time. I, I, I'm ready. Have a Merry Christmas, everybody.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 

God Bless us, Everyone.

Grenville T. Boyd

Nashua, NH