@Tom, my good buddy, where I come from, it gets very cold in winter, especially up in these Highland glens. As you already know, I live in the high valley of Strathnairn, and the river Nairn flows down from the snow-capped Monadhliath Mountains and runs just past my little house. I think there are many times when we experience similar conditions to Wisconsin. You and I have discussed such things together many a time. It’s been a mild winter so far, though there have already been times when we’ve had significant snowfalls and the thermometer dropped under -10 degrees Celsius. That aside, it’s been pretty mild.
Now, when it comes to Christmas songs, I make a distinction between the sacred and the secular. I love anything related to the Nativity, but I’m less interested in the popular, secular songs. Maybe I’ve just seen too much snow to find ‘Frosty the Snowman’ amusing.
However, I’ve always tried to remember that in my beloved Scotland, there was a time not long ago when, sadly, Christmas was cancelled. Indeed when Knox came knocking, it was lights-out for Christmas. For nearly 400 years, Christmas was put on ice. Indeed, Christmas was made illegal by Act of Parliament here, but even after Christmas was decriminalised, there remained a strong discouragement of it by those of certain puritanical persuasion. Indeed, Christmas Day was considered a normal working day up until 1958, when it was finally made a public holiday. In my father’s generation, there was no Santa Claus, no Christmas tree, no presents, no Christmas dinner. Catholic Christians would, of course, celebrate Christmas as a religious feast day, but they were in the minority.
Nowadays, those who drift through Christmas like newly fallen snow, seeing it as a meaningless feast of high consumption, may not realise how fortunate they are that they have the luxury to take it for granted. But my heart sings when I hear a song of the birth of the Saviour. I've spoken to so many folk who literally experienced nothing of Christmas in their youth. Hey, why do you think we're so good at Hogmanay - we had to find something to do during the cold winter.
By the way Tom, I've got a small Christmas present winging its way to you. It may not arrive before Christmas Day, but with a bit of luck it won't be too long after.
