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A Christmas Carol
To the Editor:
Ebenezer Scrooge didn’t like Christmas. He thought all the caroling and celebrating was a bunch of humbug: gift giving offended him greatly. Eventually, he was dissuaded of this opinion through the intersession of three ghosts. Scared straight, he went from miserable and miserly to cheerful and charitable.
Well, I don’t believe in ghosts! In fact, I find all the rattling of chains, walking through walls and scaring people in their beds to be downright offensive. Should I demand the removal of all ghost stories, ghostly images and other ghosty paraphernalia from our schools? (Note: The walking through walls trick makes actual ghost removal more problematic.) No, because the story is not simply about an old geezer a couple of ghosts and a crippled kid, it’s about redemption and charity and goodwill and hope. It’s about the Christmas spirit. I can tolerate the ghost stuff that I don’t believe in, because charity, tolerance and goodwill that I truly believe in seem to be in short supply nowadays and need to be supported and celebrated.
Two thousand years ago a baby was born. Some people believe that angels heralded his arrival by declaring “Peace on Earth, Good will toward men.” Some people believe in angels, some people don’t. Some people believe in God, some people don’t. Either way, it’s O.K. Believe in peace, goodwill, charity and the Christmas spirit. If a tree or a menorah or a Christmas carol or even a ghost story help to convey that spirit – good! Attempting to sterilize the schools of all symbols (religious or otherwise) is both futile and wrong. Let our kids learn that it’s the spirit that counts; the symbols are secondary and can be tolerated.
So, Merry Christmas everybody. And as Bob Cratchits’ little boy observed, “May God bless Us, Every One!”
Bill Smith
Garrison
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