Merry Christmas, wherever you are

 

Robert Burgess

HP Opinion Maker 12/23/2020

 As the calendar year ends, many of us are glad that 2020 will soon be history. The year has put a damper for many on the Christmas season. Some medical experts are warning us to put off our normal holiday gatherings and in great foreboding have suggested that the winter ahead of us will be the darkest months of the COVID-19 pandemic. They may sound like Scrooge or the Grinch, but it is likely for our own good.

For many, the Christmas season is a lonely time of year. No doubt, the pandemic has made it a challenging time for many more including for more than 310,000 families who lost loves ones this year or for the millions who are now unemployed and facing near term economic uncertainty. Remember too that many service men and women are stationed overseas far from loved ones, some serving in dangerous areas of the world.

When I was a young man while serving in the United States Navy, the two Christmas seasons I spent in Japan were the most challenging. According to Wikipedia, fewer than two percent of Japanese are Christians. They are primarily adherents of Buddhism or Shinto. At the time I was in Japan there was little to remind a sailor far from home that it was the Christmas season. The Japanese do celebrate their ancestors on New Year’s. It is a solemn celebration nothing like our bawdy New Year’s gatherings.

 No doubt things have changed in the four and half decades since I left Japan, I understand now that Christmas is a minor celebration in Japan these days with some even exchanging Christmas presents. From what I have read recently, a Christmas dinner tradition that started in Japan when I was there in the 1970s has gained more popularity. Instead of a Christmas turkey dinner, many Japanese now order KFC chicken dinners for the holiday. A finger licking good Christmas.

My first Christmas in Japan, I “celebrated” by going to one of the dive bars just outside the Naval station gates and ordering a Kirin or Asahi beer. My second year in Japan, I do remember venturing to Bobby McGees disco in the Roppongi night club district of Tokyo to watch young Japanese dancing to popular music of the day like KC and the Sunshine Band or Van McCoy.

For our service men and women overseas, God bless you and Merry Christmas. You may be thousands of miles away from home, but you are not forgotten this holiday season, at least not by this veteran.

This year may be a challenging one. But maybe with the advent of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and maybe soon additional ones, we can hope that next year’s Christmas season will be much brighter. In the meantime, we can keep ourselves, our friends, neighbors and family safe by wearing face masks, keeping at least six feet social distancing, and washing our hands frequently.

Maybe we can also make Christmas a little merrier for some members of our community. Before year end, we can donate to a worthy non-profit like the Salvation Army, Emergency Shelter Services, The OutCenter, the Soup Kitchen or to a local food pantry affiliated with Feeding America. Perhaps, we can order takeout at one of our favorite local restaurants to help support their business operations while indoor dining has been suspended. When we visit our local supermarket or convenience store for last minute Christmas shopping, the clerks may not be able to see us smiling at them through our masks but maybe we can be especially patient and polite while waiting in the checkout line.

Also, let us not forget the nurses, doctors, and other employees at Spectrum Health Lakeland, Bronson South Haven, or Borgess Lee Dowagiac. Let us remind our representatives in Lansing and Washington that they must do what they can to ensure that hospital workers get the PPE they need to remain safe. Our representatives must work harder to ensure that life savings vaccines are promptly distributed to protect front line medical workers.

Yes, I am sure our medical professional would also appreciate it if we wear masks, social distance, and practice good hand washing hygiene. I am sure they would rather see us at a Lake Michigan beach this coming summer than at their hospital this winter. The feeling is mutual.

A safe and Merry Christmas to all.