A BLUE CHRISTMAS...

 

Seeing the title of this post

 coupled with my penchant for

 humming Christmas carols

 since October and 

I bet you think

 you have a pretty good idea 

of what this post is about

 - but - no - it's not -

Oh, well,

 maybe just a little bit.

I had just finished decorating 

the parlor, the entry and the sitting room 

and when I was

 ready to photograph it all, 

the sun went behind the clouds 

and the feeling and the mood

 turned to a darker place. 

 Everything took on a blue cast,

 probably due to the loss of light

 and the over abundance of

 blue paint and wallpaper and 

the fact that the Captain loves

 the different colored lights 

on the tree and

 since he got up

 before me this morning,

 it was his choice.  

The blue LED lights 

are really too vibrant 

for a magical Christmas tree,

 in my opinion. 

 Anyway that's my story

 and I'm sticking to it. 

 Hence 

"blue christmas" came to mind.

 OK, if you insist:

"I'll have a blue Christmas without you 

I'll be so sad thinking about you.

Decorations of red 

on a green Christmas tree

 won't mean a thing 

if you're not here with me".

Blue Christmas

Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson

1957

"Blue Christmas" is a sad song. 

 It makes us think of all the ones

 who we would love to have 

around us at Christmas. 

 The ones who are not part

 of our immediate household 

and the ones who only remain 

in our hearts and our memories. 

 It is especially poignant this year 

as there are so many 

who are experiencing

 the same situations...

...whether loss of loved ones,

 loss of jobs 

or the loss of our freedoms.

 

 Each one of us 

who have felt the losses 

are not equally affected.

 

 For those of us who have 

only lost our freedoms 

(or so we think) 

just has to make a small adjustment 

and we will be able to 

get through to the

 other side.

For those who have lost jobs and income, 

that would be a lot harder to bear. 

 If there was some help for the ones

 in these circumstances 

they would come out on the other side also,

 but that may not be possible 

for a while longer. 

 I certainly hope

 it is not so bad 

that they can't hold on 

until that time comes but 

the situations look pretty bleak 

when you see the long lines

 waiting for food.

For those that have lost loved ones, 

that is a different story altogether.

  You can never make

 adjustments for that, 

now or in the future. 

 Time dictates 

that the future will be easier

 but for those who have lost

 someone to this horrible disease,

 it must seem like 

that day will be

 a long time coming.

I know I harp about wearing masks

 but because I care,

and I understand 

that is our best hope right now,

 I do so. 

 I will keep doing it

 even after the vaccine becomes available.

  It will not be like waving

 a magic wand and

 all of a sudden

 we will be back to normal. 

 It will take some time 

before every person 

can be reached.

Right now 

it is estimated that 

one person dies from the virus

 every thirty seconds or so.

 How many of those lives 

were lost because someone

 chose not to wear a mask? 

 Could you be one of those someones? 

 Don't you ever think of that?

  I imagine it would be devastating 

to think that you might be 

responsible for the loss

 of someone's life.

 Probably even more devastating 

to think that your life 

might be endangered also

 if a friend of yours

 didn't wear a mask

 around you.

This is the Christmas season -

 a time when our hearts and minds

 should be full of good will

 towards our fellow man. 

 The season where so many 

profess to follow God's teachings and 

yet won't even take 

this small step 

to make life easier

 for all of us.

 

 I am not writing this 

for the people whom I know

 to be my kind and loving friends 

but I know that  

some others do read 

what I write and

 if they are ones who choose

 not to wear a mask 

this is for their benefit.

 

 I do want to make

 that perfectly clear.

I find it almost foolish 

to be showing pictures of 

Christmas decorations 

along with this message, 

but we all do need 

a little change 

from what we have been going through 

this year and

it can't come soon enough.

 

 I don't want to think this way constantly. 

 It seems like such a simple fix to me 

and I find it very hard to comprehend

 that some have a hard time 

understanding the significance 

of wearing a mask and 

still think someone is trying 

to dictate to them and 

take away any of their

 personal freedoms,

 especially after all

 the lives lost.

 

Stay Smart

Stay Well

and...

...that one thing 

might just be 

wearing a mask.

Who knew? 

 Picture this: 

They said a mask and gloves

 were enough to go 

to the grocery store.

They lied! 

 Everybody else 

had clothes on.

Enjoy the spirit of Christmas.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda