Merry Christmas Or Whatever

Christmas is almost here, and I must confess to not feeling too "Christmasy" yet. I'm not getting all Mr. Scrooge on you at this late date, it's just I have yet to be overcome by the Christmas spirit.

Part of my predicament may be the fact that suddenly, I'm not allowed to say "Merry Christmas" to people without starting an international incident or kicking off a religious debate. I used to say "Merry Christmas" all the time. Not like some crazy Christmas maniac or anything, but when the situation arose, I was always willing to whip out a festive holiday greeting. Now it seems that people are trying to be so politically correct that "Happy Holidays" has become the greeting of choice. I know that not everyone celebrates Christmas, but I do. If I offer you a cheery "Merry Christmas" and you don't happen to celebrate that particular holiday, toss me back a greeting that's befitting your beliefs. There are too few occasions when people try to be nice to each other. Why should we try to take this one away too. I have a hard time believing that anyone wishing someone else a "Merry Christmas" is really saying, "You better be Christian or you'll burn in hell you pagan." No, It's meant to be a greeting of good will and happiness, and that's how it should be received. Now that I'm doing my show on WGN, I tend to say "Happy Holidays" on the air and it bothers me. I started saying both last week and I felt better. I'm sure their are listeners of many different faiths who enjoy our show, and I wish them all nothing but happiness this time of year no matter how I express it. So just to be clear...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I tried getting more festive today by wrapping all of "Wife's" gifts from "Daughter" and me. I say they are from both of us, but all dads know the truth. I don't mind letting "Daughter" take some of the credit. Last year I had her give me ten dollars towards "Wife's" gifts. It's not that I needed the money (but an extra ten spot in my pocket never hurts), it's that I wanted her to see what it felt like to sacrifice for someone you care about. Besides, that kid has more cash squirreled away than I do thanks to generous uncles, aunts and Grandmas. I also wrapped some of the other gifts we're giving to people. I had Christmas music on too. It was like a Christmas card come to life. Just telling you about it makes me all tingley. I think tonight will go a long way toward my Christmas relaxation. Most of the gifts are wrapped, the house looks good, and with no more school for "Daughter" we can just kick back tonight. Maybe I can convince "Wife" to join me in a cup of Christmas cheer and a romp under the mistletoe. Ho Ho Ho!

Without getting too sentimental, I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah (what's left of it), a Joyous Kwanza or a fantastic whatever. It really doesn't matter what we call it, the wish is the same for all of us, health, happiness and people we love to share it with. Damn, that made me feel kind of "Christmasy". I better go before I ruin it. Later...Brian

BTW...Starting at 2am Tuesday morning Dec. 26, I will be filling in for the fantastic Steve and Johnnie on WGN. The schedule is 12/26: 2-5 am, 12/26-27: 11pm-5am , 12/27-28: 11pm-5am, 12/28-29: 11pm-5am. There's sure be some surprises since I'm hosting with two different women. I'm such a radio playboy. I hope you can listen.