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Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

 

 

By the time this column reaches most of you there will be only a few days left until Christmas. For many of us it only leads to the need to panic that we haven’t done enough, or have forgotten something, or maybe there are even a few of us who are completely done shopping, yet can’t quite bring ourselves to find the Christmas spirit? In an effort to be a little extra helpful I’ve come up with a short list that you can cut out and tape on your refrigerator, put in your billfold or tack up to the bathroom mirror. Only ten things that won’t take much money or time, but some things you should really try to accomplish before the season slips away.

  1. Take a drive to see the Christmas lights. I’ve noticed that fewer houses seem to be decorated this year. I don’t know if it’s due to the economy, or just people are busier than normal, or the fact that I’ve not gone out of the house past supper-time in weeks. But take the time to go find them, and if you have put a few up turn them on. It doesn’t have to be some kind of Garth extravaganza. Here at the farm there is one single strand upon my porch that I turn on every year just for my neighbor Marie. Every year she would call or stop by to tell me how much she enjoyed looking at the lights as she stood in the kitchen doing dishes. Even though she is gone now, it reminds me of good neighbors.

  2. Deliver a plate of cookies to someone you don’t know. Yeah, try this out, it actually is kind of fun and don’t worry if you have to use store bought cookies, we’ll never tell. Also you get bonus points if you also leave a carton of AE eggnog. The real stuff and not that watered down light garbage. It’s Christmas for heaven sake, who is counting calories at this time of year?

  3. Attend a kids Christmas program. Either at church or find a local elementary. It may just help brighten your holiday.

  4. Make a snow angel. When was the last time you acted eight years old and went out in the yard and flopped down to make one? Two issues here to remember though. First, there needs to be snow as making a dirt angel isn’t quite the same. Secondly, if you have a medical condition or your neighbors already thing you are a little touched be careful that someone doesn’t see you and call out EMS.

  5. Stop by Drew’s Chocolates. There are only a few really good memories of Christmas as a boy and since I can’t smell my presents to see if they came from Evan’s Clothing store a trip to Drew’s always makes the day worthwhile.

  6. Take a deep breath. Don’t forget in all the haste to find that perfect gift, or to outdo your ex or that friend who makes three times the money you do, that most of us just want to spend some time with you.

  7. Drop a little change in a red kettle. Sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones where the giver never finds out the good they have done.

  8. Write a note to someone who has made a difference in your life. A note…on paper…with a pen… and mail it. No emails, or texts…write them. Do it. The great and powerful Weez has spoken.

  9. Promise yourself you will say “no” just once. Weather it is the office holiday party that you probably don’t feel like attending, the thirty-third trip to the store for “just one more gift” or you’re trying to keep every tradition of the holidays the same…sometimes there is a place to just say no.

  10. Finally, in the dead of night, when the kids have all gone to bed, and the house is quiet and you feel alone, fall to your knees and lift your eyes. Give thanks for the birth of the Christ child, who came to us on a cold day to remind us that we are never alone in our walk though this life.

See you next week…Remember, we’re all in this together.