The Best Advice About Christmas Stress -- Ever --In the Universe!

 



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In order to reduce my stress load this Christmas, I am reposting last year's Christmas Stress post instead of writing a new one.

Do you feel that Christmas is a disruption in your life?  Are you overwhelmed by trying to provide the best Christmas possible?  How do you feel when you read an article or hear a discussion on a talk show telling you that you shouldn’t try to create the “perfect” Christmas?  And don’t forget all those movies about a burned out parent (usually Mom) who has a revelation and cries and berates herself for not seeing the meaning of Christmas.  Do you feel guilty because you would have been satisfied with just “real nice”?  Or are you shooting for perfect and feeling guilty not only for not making it but for even trying?

No matter where you turn, someone is saying something about the stress of Christmas.  I stopped reading articles about how to avoid stress, since reading them and trying to put them into action just took up time and led to more stress.

Maybe we just ought to accept that fact that we are going to strive for “the best Christmas ever,” no matter what we read or see on television and hear in church.

But I have a thought.

Christmas disrupts our lives, just as it has disrupted the world.  Mary and Joseph had their lives disrupted; so did the shepherds and wise men.  When we decide to follow Jesus, our lives are going to be changed and change is disruption.  It is a miraculous disruption.

But wouldn’t it be nice to find a little peace?

Maybe on the 26^th or the Saturday after Christmas, we can enjoy the leftovers, watch the DVD’s we got, and really read the Christmas cards and newsletters.  I’m going to keep the 26^th in mind tonight as I wrap presents and worry about whether everyone will like them.

 

Pastor, I Have this Friend

Well, several friends actually. They can't decide whether they are living in a dystopian novel where everyone is either crazy or miserable, one of those historical dramas that take place in some opulent but corrupt court, or a Marx Brothers comedy.

And they have the sinking feeling that if they did know, they wouldn't know how to handle it.

At first, it was terrible. They would wake up in the morning depressed or even more depressed than usual with the state of the world piled on top of their own problems.

Then it got worse. The talks about collusion and impeachment increased. (Of course they had been going on months before the election on both sides.) One very liberal friend says that she supports impeachment, but she doesn't want to hear any more about it. For awhile Trevor Noah started every Daily Show shouting, “And Trump is getting impeached!” and the audience went wild. For Joy Behar's birthday, The View presented her with a rendition of “Joy to the World,” about impeachment and a special birthday cake shaped like a giant peach with a mop of yellow icing hair and a spring of mint on top. (By the way, remember Testa-mints that come individually wrapped with Bible verses? Now, you can get “Impeach-mints.” The flavor is peach and mint. Not your grandmother's after dinner snack..)

Then things turned absurd. Last time, Bernie Sanders, that favorite uncle your parents disapprove of, was the major (perhaps the only Socialist). Now, the New Socialists, proclaim, “America wants Socialism.” Venezuela wanted socialism too, once. Some of it sounds great: free college, free medical care, guaranteed jobs. But then some Dylan Downer (Debbie's gender neutral-cousin) will want to know who is going to pay for it all.

I'm not going to comment on any of the leaders of the movement for fear the PC police will come after me.

On top of everything, candidates too numerous to keep track of (about fifteen) are competing to see  who is the most socialist, the most politically correct, and the most honest. Apologies are flowing, some for indiscretions committed years ago, some for mere existence, none of which will be good enough. 

But who can stay mad at such lovable transgressors?  After all, they are just folks, having a beer in the kitchen, riding skateboards, dancing, getting a flu shot. That might be worthwhile as a public service announcement. Getting an haircut not so much.

Well, Pastor, that's the way it goes.  There's more, but I don't have the energy to go into it.

It was good talking to you, Pastor. I'll pray for you, too.

Very Sensible

If your go-to pejorative is "rude" or "tacky", you just might be an Episcopalian!

It's here! (And about time, too!)

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Kitty says:

 

Lent is over!  You may now laugh at naughty Jesus jokes without feeling guilty!  (tee hee!)

 

 

 

 

 



 

 





Holy Saturday -- It's almost Easter!

 

 

Miss Kitty says:

 

One more day!

 



 



 

 

Good Friday with Miss Kitty

 

 

 

 

Good Friday thoughts.

 

 

 

 

Maundy, Maundy

 

 

 

 

Miss Kitty says:

 

 

 

 

You can't deny . . .

Creepy or just weird? You decide!

 

 

 

 



Miss Kitty says:

 

Happy Spy Wednesday!

 

 

 



 

 

 

 





 

 



Things happen!

 Tuesday

Miss Kitty says:

Oops!







Miss Kitty's Monday Greeting and Lent Advice

 

 

Miss Kitty says: 

 

 

Take some time for fresh air and exercise!

 





Happy Easter from Miss Kitty!

Miss Kitty says:

I'll be sending a Easter card every day during Holy Week.  Feel free to send one in the comments section.

 Palm Sunday



 

 



A Least Two Shades of Annoying



If your friends are talking about what they're wearing for Easter and you tell them that is bourgeoise or Pharisitical, you just might be an annoying Leftist or Christian.

If you add quotations, you really are!





During Easter Dinner, if you tell your nieces and nephews that coloring eggs is wasting food and that plastic eggs are polluting the environment, you just might be an annoying Christian.

If you add that Jesus never had an Easter basket, you probably are.

If you add that He never even got a jelly bean,

You really are!



Tangled Up In Green

I've been trying to figure out what to write about. There's so much:  Identity Politics, the Green New Deal, the soda tax in Philadelphia (which now has been expanded to include any drink bought in a store or restaurant.) Not only is the money going to Pre-K, libraries and museums, but the tax will keep everyone's weight down and save their teeth.

As Billy Joel said “I can't take it anymore!” (“We didn't Start the Fire”) I've been there and maybe even done that forty-some years ago. Every so often a report would be issued about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, an inconvenience, to say the least, to those of us who depended on Tab to keep away from the Reese's or anything else good to eat. When a new report came out, I would hoard whatever was available.

I never heard of identity politics (Of course, I didn't get around much.), but the personal was political and one's politics had to be correct. That meant not telling ethnic jokes or stereotyping. Of course, you could tell jokes about your own ethnic or religious group and be offended if a non-member did. Since my ancestry is Scottish, German, and English, I didn't have a lot of material. (How many cheap jokes are there?) And Groundskeeper Willie didn't come around until the 80's, when getting offended wasn't in fashion.

There were movements that could be part of the Green New Deal and various ways to participate. You could try to get your town to require recycling or disapprove of other people's cars. There was even talk of overpopulation, with books and articles about the joys of being “childfree”, which always included warnings about overpopulation and often made remarks about “selfishness”. So along with feeling guilty about losing patience with your kids, you could feel guilty about having them.

I don't think I knew any registered Socialists, but there was a feeling that liberals (as I identified myself) didn't get it. I felt guilty and, even worse, stupid, and wondered if I was a hypocrite.

I didn't know of any Socialist superstars, but we certainly have them now! I think of them as The Socialist Sweeties, because I want to sigh, “Oh, sweetie” when I hear their ideas. Sometimes, I want to yell, “What the f**k are you talking about?” and “For God's sake, stop frightening the kids!” (I'm sure the kids aren't the only ones frightened, but I don't want to look like a wimp.)

How should Christians feel about the Green New Deal? I'm not a theologian, so I can get away with saying, “You got me there.” Yes, this is a cop-out, but aren't most people who are not desperately poor copping out?

Perhaps all we can do is to try to do the best we can and “Keep on keeping on.” (Bob Dylan, “Tangled up in Blue")



A Suggestion from Miss Kitty

Miss Kitty says:

"Now that you're woke, smell the coffee."