First Light Books
'God Bless Us, Every One!'
RECEIVED Fri., Dec. 13, 2013
Dear Editor,
The first sentence in Michael Ventura’s piece on Christmas [“If We Make It Through December,” Letters at 3am, Dec. 13] really got my attention and propelled me into reading the rest of the article. I had to find out what made him focus on the death of Christ while looking at the babe in the manger. I confess that I usually don’t read Ventura’s columns through to the end, but this article had so many Christmas memories that I could relate to.
My own memories are filled with angels, heavenly music, sweet baby images, and a general feeling of good will toward all my friends and relatives. I’m also prone to some sadness at this time of year, when I remember family and friends who are no longer celebrating with us.
So, I read with great interest as he makes his case for writing that Christmas has no value in his heart. He has tried and failed to find that something wonderful that Christmas is supposed to give us. And when he writes about not finding a merry Christmas, I concede that it’s an especially lonely time for many people. I like the way he weaves in Christmas stories, movies, and music into his search for the meaning of Christmas. I like the poetry, too, and his last benediction from Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!” In the end, that’s probably all we can hope for.
The first sentence in Michael Ventura’s piece on Christmas [“If We Make It Through December,” Letters at 3am, Dec. 13] really got my attention and propelled me into reading the rest of the article. I had to find out what made him focus on the death of Christ while looking at the babe in the manger. I confess that I usually don’t read Ventura’s columns through to the end, but this article had so many Christmas memories that I could relate to.
My own memories are filled with angels, heavenly music, sweet baby images, and a general feeling of good will toward all my friends and relatives. I’m also prone to some sadness at this time of year, when I remember family and friends who are no longer celebrating with us.
So, I read with great interest as he makes his case for writing that Christmas has no value in his heart. He has tried and failed to find that something wonderful that Christmas is supposed to give us. And when he writes about not finding a merry Christmas, I concede that it’s an especially lonely time for many people. I like the way he weaves in Christmas stories, movies, and music into his search for the meaning of Christmas. I like the poetry, too, and his last benediction from Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one!” In the end, that’s probably all we can hope for.
Mary Lou Gibson
