Henderson: We all have earned a Merry Christmas

Henderson: We all have earned a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas.

I know the proper phrase is "happy holidays" and I certainly would never want to offend or exclude, but since this actually is Christmas Day I think it's OK to mark the occasion properly. That's especially true now, with all the sorrow this year has wrought.

Peace on Earth seems like an oxymoron.

Good will toward men? We're working on it.

We will all think this morning about families of the children in Connecticut and the movie-goers in Colorado, and we'll wonder how empty this day will be for them.

We'll think of soldiers who paid the supreme price this year because we haven't yet achieved peace on Earth. We'll think of the soldiers still on watch in the toughest places on the planet, and of the kids who will wonder when mommy or daddy will get to come home for good.

We'll think of families or individuals who still can't find work and won't have anything to put around a tree. Maybe they won't even have a tree.

You see, Christmas was never supposed to be about us. It is the time of giving, of placing others first. If you're blessed enough to have your family near and gifts to exchange, you have a blessing you can never take for granted.

To be honest, Christmas is a damaged brand because of what we allowed to happen to this day. Did I say day? The buildup lasts for months and all that seems to matter is how well the merchants do with their Christmas sales. Our mailboxes fill with sale fliers and our email clogs with special offers.

I'll tell you a secret – I have started to like Christmas Eve a lot. We go to a candlelight service and they sing "Silent Night" and talk about a babe in a manger. People linger afterward to talk with each other, and it feels good.

Back home, away from the holiday rush, is a time to get reflective in the quiet. We play Christmas songs and look at the lights. I think about how we'd always go to my grandparents' farm on Christmas Eve. The whole family would be there – all the aunts, uncles and cousins.

I remember the laughter, the food and the good times, but mostly I remember the faces and the hugs. I hope I never forget them.

Something like that demands a little more than "happy holidays."

We have been through a lot in the last few years and every fresh headline leaves you wondering when the noise will give way to quiet and the confusion will end. We have big problems in this country, but our politicians don't seem interested in truly addressing them. They act like spoiled shoppers wrestling over the last toy on the shelf instead of showing a sense of national unity and civility.

But the words come back …

Peace on Earth.

Good will toward men.

Embrace this day for what it is, an island in a sea of madness. Burn the faces and voices of family and friends into your mind. The memory will stay with you much longer than anything you unwrap from under the tree. The turkey will taste a little better. Save room for the pecan pie.

Days like this don't come around often enough.

So, yeah.

Merry Christmas.