Whee Festivus everyone. As I just wrote an old friend I often celebrated with, this has been a very Christmassy Festivus, even though I didn’t carol or see Robinson and Rohe’s Longest Winter show. In lieu of caroling Katherine and I met at the Union Square Holiday Market. Quality time with friends and family is the most important holiday tradition. Thursday night the annual Gord’s Gold Holiday on Ice Show streamed on Folk Music Notebook. You can listen to it right now and should while finishing this entry. In the last few days, I have watched White Christmas and Meet John Doe. I am now taking a break from watching It’s a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra directed the latter two. Nobody did Christmas better than Capra. People often refer to it as Capra Corn but that’s absurd. What makes them both great is their depictions of the dark side of life. Both John Doe and George Bailey were crushed under the weight of structural societal problems. The heavies in both films were malefactors of great wealth played to perfection by Edward Arnold and Lionel Barrymore, respectively. The beloved Barrymore played the two greatest Christmas villains, Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life and Scrooge in Orson Welles’ annual airing of A Christmas Carol on the Mercury Theater of the Air. You should listen to that if you get chance.
I spent yesterday with Erika. We met Belvedere Castle and made our way south through Central Park with stops at the Shakespeare Garden, the Ramble, the bandshell, the statue of Balto, and The Literary Walk. This was my first time seeing the Women’s Rights Pioneer Memorial that opened in August 2020. I have been meaning to do that since it was erected. Then we walked past the Zoo and saw the clock give it’s hourly display. I don’t think I ever watched the whole thing. Unfortunately the video isn’t ready yet. I’ll post that. We also enjoyed the sea lions. From there we made our way down Fifth Avenue to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. I was afraid it might be jammed but it wasn’t. We could walk right up to the plaza without waiting on a line. The tree is always spectacular, and I love listening to the people around me. They had something new in the skating rink. Penguins on skates for little kids to hold on to as they skate.
The first part of the day did not go as smoothly. I had an appointment for a COVID-19 test at North Bronx Central Hospital. I arrived 20 minutes early as I was advised to. I was told that all appointments were canceled as they were overwhelmed. I don’t know what happened. Did they take walk-ins even though they said appointment only? Did they fall behind for some reason? I felt that they should have texted everyone whose appointments they canceled to let us know. It’s only an 11 minute walk from me but I made my plans around the appointment. I would have told Erika I could make it earlier if I had known. I texted her and she could leave in 15 minutes, so it wasn’t that bad. It gave me time to grab something from DD. When I got to the City, I had time to stop at Krispy Kreme for my free donuts, and I had time to appreciate New York at Christmas. When I got to Belvedere Castle a violinist and bass player were performing classical and holiday music. They were excellent and had an enjoyable time listening to them and seeing the view. I was reminded that the Castle was built to be a lookout tower. I love Belvedere Castle.
I usually write about my thoughts and experiences, but today I want to write about feelings. When I get to the end of Meet John Doe and hear the Ode to Joy, and the tough newspaperman Connell played by James Gleason tell off Edward Arnold’s D.B. Norton, “There you are, Norton – – the people, try and lick that.” Tears fill my eyes right on queue. It happens every single time I watch the film. As much as I’m an apostle of rationality, like Rick Blaine in Casablanca, I’m also a rank sentimentalist. I want to feel these things. I enjoy feeling them. I think they make me a better person.
I also had Pavlovian responses of joy from spending time with Katherine and Erika and even from simply watching Alice Hasen’s Christmas edition of Fiddler’s Friday. That’s streaming, not in person. I thought I only got on my computer just in time for maybe the last song but there was a Chanukah miracle. Even though there was only time for one song, it lasted for eight including my request for Good King Wenceslas. I have great people in my life.
Jackie my roommate gave me Christmas gifts that are just my size, chocolate. I got milk chocolate and marshmallow stirrers for Hot Chocolate. That’s exactly what I needed because I ran out of marshmallows and need a hot chocolate today. She also gave me chocolate covered espresso beans which brought back a fond memory with Carey and Shelly. After hardly sleeping for 48 hours, we got wired on them.
When I started getting the typical sad holiday thoughts, I was able to cut them off at the past. Therapy and Prozac perform wonders. For years that would have led to a deep depression. I no longer allow that to happen. It’s a strange thing, but there is something inside of us that seeks out negative emotions, depression, anger, and fear. When people complain about Facebook most of the time it’s because they fell down rabbit holes of posts that trigger one of those emotions. I’ve learned to not let myself do that. I don’t want to feel depression, anger, or fear, and I don’t want to send others down those paths. I’m a strange person to get mental health advice from but you’ll not only be happier if you follow it, but those around you will be happier. It’s a mitzvah. I know reading a Christmas blog from a Jewish atheist can get confusing but it’s worth it. I never claimed to be modest.
Now I’ll finish watching It’s a Wonderful Life, make a Christmas Dinner that I just realized can’t be my planned Matzoh Brei pizza as I ran out of mozzarella and forgot to buy more when I went shopping the other day. That is a bonus idiot story. I haven’t defrosted anything so perhaps I’ll have poutine. I did buy gravy. Poutine is from Canada which is in the same direction as the North Pole so appropriate for Christmas. I know as a Jew I should have Chinese food, but I don’t want to go out and get it.
As I often do, I’ll leave you with my usual Festivus closing; As Tiny Tim observed, “The Flying Spaghetti Monster bless us, every one.” That got changed in the final editing when the publisher decided that the Victorian audience would prefer Christmas to Festivus.
Wise Madness 