With little time to catch our breaths, we now move from giving thanks to giving gifts.  Many also recognize Christmas as a key milestone in their faith and the liturgical calendar.  It's "make it or break it" time for stores.  Consequently, many stores proclaim it's the Christmas season in early October.  Black Friday is the apogee of worship experience of the season for many.  What is clear is that, although there are common threads, the overall meaning and experience of Christmas is not the same for everyone.  I hope you will find some interest, as I share how the experience of Christmas has evolved in my life. 

As a youngster, raised by two blue collar parents of limited means, and who were not religious, my expectation of the holiday season was the hope I would get some modest gift.  My belief in Santa was short-lived but I played along for a while to get that extra gift.  By the time I was in high school my life had changed, including the Christmas experience.  My family obligations now included planning the Christmas experience.  Earnings from part time jobs allowed me to become more of a gift giver than a gift getter.  Decorations got stepped up a bit.  We now had electric candles in each front window.  Living in a largely Catholic neighborhood, church became part of the holiday as I joined friends in worship at our local church. 

Christmas in the military was the next evolution of my Christmas experience.  Wherever I was stationed throughout the world, the US Air Force did everything they could to make it feel like Christmas on the base.  Christmas worship, led by the base Chaplain somehow seemed more spiritual to me than the elaborate masses at my home church.  Of course everyone missed being with their family.  It was a different time - we didn't have the benefits of skype or global cell phones that allowed us to have easy contact with our loved ones.  I went back to being a "getter" more than a "giver."  My parents sent a holiday package, mostly of everyday items they thought might not be available in Greece or Japan.  However, for the most part the items could be purchased at the Base Exchange - but the gesture was greatly appreciated.  Back home I am not certain my parents had a tree or even knew where the candles for the windows could be found.  The most profound gift I can recall in that period of my life was knowing that, as a Russian Linguist, I was performing a service that was aiding our country.  I think I am still inordinately patriotic, a gift that has kept on giving from days in the military. 

Christmas was quite different after I completed my military service.  As a gay man, the Catholic Church invited me to leave causing me to decide that church had no place in my life - including at Christmas.  Palm trees with Christmas Balls were a part of my new life in Florida.  My father was now deceased.  My mother, now living in an assisted living facility, was repeatedly invited to join me for the holiday.  She refused to budge from Boston.  I would occasionally travel back to Boston for the holiday.  However, with no close family other than my mother there, I felt more surrounded by "family" in Florida, with an ever-growing circle of friends.  For many years I hosted "orphan" Christmas dinners.  Invitations were extended to friends who would not be spending the holiday with family.  The meaning of Christmas to us was largely a reason to celebrate the act of being together in friendship.  That was a profound Christmas gift, one that cannot be bought. 

Mid-life, to my great surprise, church returned to my Christmas experience when I became a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena.  The worship experience on Christmas eve is a spectacular show.  But I found the spiritual aspect of the service compromised by the preponderance of Easter / Christmas attendees whose behavior was anything but sacred.  My solution was to be an usher Christmas eve and attend worship on Christmas Day, when the focus is on worship and less on the next vodka soda.  Since we had the largest dining room, my partner's family would often come to our home for the Christmas day dinner.  This phase of my life, combining so many aspects of Christmas (family, worship, gifting, holiday music and decorations, etc.) were as close to the stereotypical American Christmas experience as I have experienced.  When I reflect on those Christmases, I have a great appreciation for how I was embraced by my partner's family, and a special gratitude for the memories of those who are no longer with us. 

 

From Veggies to Artisanal Beers: This is an exciting change for a restaurant location that has featured limited hours and a limited menu for several years. 

"Beer for the People" is the mantra extolled on Eagle Rock Brewery's web site.  Based on the Brewery's plan to occupy the location previously occupied by the vegetarian restaurant - Fatty's, they may need to consider revising it to "Beer and Grub for People" since they will be serving food at the new location.  Beer is made from wheat - so the veggie tradition is somewhat preserved.  However, the "grub" menu may violate vegetarian guidelines.   

Christmas Trivia Fun - Answers