"There's so much more to Christmas than what we see and hear on the radio and television. The whole thing is about Jesus." --- Billy Graham
It hurts me, here at Christmas, to dredge up the past --- that is the most recent past. Though it is my usual stomping ground, that of late has been enough to make the angels weep. I find myself tiptoeing around the pandemic, at glorious Christmastime, but it's next to impossible to recap the last year or so without mention.
This time last year, we reveled in the simplest traditions --- each of which felt like a renaissance - at our house. The mail at Christmastime 2020 was cathartic. Color us lucky, the cards came in droves. In the beginning, I thought I was dreaming. Then with peasant curiosity, we began counting. Rodney and I sat down each evening and poured over the greetings. Like the rest of the world, we were desperate for good news at the end of a scourge of a year. And there it was, in the mailbox-- - in the form of old-fashioned Christmas cards. Nice as pie.
We became enmeshed in the photo cards which enabled us to track the growth of family and friends near and far --- folks we hadn't seen for what seemed, and still seems, like forever. We loved seeing pictorial proof of families, who could get together, getting together. There was even a rare wedding or two and the beautiful birth of babies --- miracles, if you ask me. And, dog lovers, we reveled in the pretty pups.
Several of the festive cards that landed in our mailbox were in zoom format, representative of the year which, by and large, was one zoom event after another. Our personal favorite done in zoom came from Rodney's close childhood friend Duff Wallace, together with wife Terry, son Spencer, and pup Colston. Two dozen sensational zoom frames, which cumulatively lifted our spirit.
In that same vein, Cousins Ron and Mercer Brumfield had nearly a dozen zoom frames on their happy holiday card with wonderful wording, "Six feet A part but Close at Heart." Amen to that. In a similar vein, my dear childhood friend Sarah Watts Driftmier, daughter of Judge Frances Watts and Clara Sue Watts Driftmier, was pictured with her husband David and lovely family --- all were wearing ubiquitous masks. Our ICU doctor daughter mandates that we still wear them.
In reading the cards with handwritten messages, we noticed some opted to ignore the coronavirus altogether, refusing the monster standing on their Christmas cards. We were in that number. Others adroitly addressed the elephant in the room, attributing the absence of photos to COVID-19. Commentary included "Covid hair - so no photo!" Some folks confirmed that they had "skirted Covid so far," and expressed the hope that we had, also. Honestly, it was all anyone was thinking. Thankfully, brave souls sagely said it.
We relished in the images on the cards - scenes from Bethlehem, snow-covered mountain wonderlands, and villages in New England. Places which seemed an eternity away and an impossibility, last year, to visit. Rodney and I placed each Christmas card, one by one, in the old dough bowl on the kitchen island, only to drink them in, again and again.
The wording added to the Christmas cards' print was consistent --- "wishing" and "missing." And no one relished these sentiments more than the recipients. We were missing everyone and wishing all patience, perseverance, and good health. In our thirty-second year of marriage last year, Rodney and I were, and still are, happy as clams to have one another; our cup runneth over. But interestingly, I heard that during 2020 even unhappy couples were happier than singles. So said comedian Chris Rock who joked in an interview about the mindset of miserable couples saying something along the lines of, "I hate her but damn I'm happy she's here." It's funny when he says it.
We desperately hope the deluge of old-fashioned Christmas cards continues. By the time this column goes to print, I will be with my family in Boston --- our daughter moved to the Back Bay neighborhood in June and I've visited there every month since --- where we are celebrating what will likely be our coldest Christmas. I leave you today with part of a Christmas message from my late father. Col. (ret) Cecil C. Ellzey, who in 1981 published it in "The Analyzer," the newsletter of the Bogalusa Community Medical Center where he was the long-time CEO/Administrator. Written forty years ago to the hospital staff and employees, his Christmas greeting remains timeless.
"What Christmas Can Mean To Us"
Today our lives are filled with anxieties, fears, burdens, pressures, and frustrations. The world about us seems to be facing one crisis after another and there are many disappointing actions from all segments of our society.
Tomorrow is yet to come, so what can we do today? If we make today count with positive attitudes and decisions, then our lives will be filled with a deeper sense of joy for living. What better time than now could we start?
The holiday season fills our hearts with gratitude while Christmas hastens to give us that hope to fill our hearts with love. We need to allow a true spirit of love to ease the pains of living today. May this Christmas awaken in you a new awareness of the true spirit of Christmas….
Let's approach 1982 with a sense of a new beginning, ever-mindful of many blessings we each have enjoyed and let's share the spirit of happiness with others during the New Year.
Cecil C. Ellzey, Administrator"
Wishing you and your family a Merry, Merry Christmas.
