The upheavals of adolescence silenced ‘A Christmas Carol’ for a few years. I became a firebrand atheist. Christmas – humbug! Too commercial! Then I became an agnostic. Christmas was a pro-forma affair, basically a chore. Buy mother a book, dad a new tie, my brother and sister small gifts. Pretend thanks for the fountain pens and shirts I received.
I put the copy of ‘A Christmas Carol’ that my grandfather had first read to me 60 years ago on my desk, and I began to write. The result, for better or for worse, is the ‘Christmas Spirits.’ I plan to read it to my grandson.
I wouldn’t recommend young kids see ‘Speedway Junkie.’ It’s definitely an age-appropriate movie – dark and realistic and edgy. If young kids want to see me, go see the Christmas movie.
In our racist, sexist society, Christmas is the 8 hours when we stop killing each other and gratutious over eating is encouraged so that the starving and other people in the world can die!
No sane local official who has hung up an empty stocking over the municipal fireplace, is going to shoot Santa Claus just before a hard Christmas.
At school, there was an annual school disco and I’d be standing in my bedroom wondering what to wear for hours on end. Eventually I’d arrive at a decision that was just the most ridiculous costume you could have ever devised – I think it was probably knitted Christmas jumpers on top of buttoned-up white shirts.
Then, when I got in the military, I used to host – even in high school – I hosted the talent shows, and when I was in the military I would host all of our base Christmas parties and stuff.
For me growing up, Christmas time was always the most fantastic, exciting time of year, and you’d stay up until three in the morning. You’d hear the parents wrapping in the other room but you knew that also, maybe, they were in collusion with Santa Claus.