Getting What You Want

Do you get what you want for Christmas? 

Maybe, maybe not.  So what do you want?  Many of us would take the short route here...to be happy or peace on earth.  With economic turmoil and ongoing terror threats, happiness and peace have been hit by an inflationary pricetag these days. 

Or maybe you have a more specific want for the season.  We have all seen those ads where the loved one is really, really surprised by a new car with a giant bright ribbon attached to it.  Yeah, that's quite a gift.  Not surprisingly, dealers think it's a smashing idea.  Come to think of it, I think it's a smashing idea!  Then there's the kid in "A Christmas Story" who, no matter what else comes his way on Christmas, only wants that BB rifle and fantasizes about how sweet life will be once he's holding it in his hands.  If you have ever seen the movie, you know it's a classic case of, "be careful what you wish for."  

Certainly if you have a loved one far away from home, you are wishing they are safe and that they show up by your side real soon.  That may be in a different league from a car with a red ribbon on it or a BB rifle, but the wish and the hope are every bit as precious.  

Every year I tell my daughters the same thing.  Do not waste your money on me.  And every year I wind up with presents from them.  Oh, sure, I like the stuff, and there is just a little of that "unbridled avarice" the narrator aluded to in the above-mentioned movie when you are opening gifts.  But for me, just having the wife and kids close to me this time of year is enough.  

Well, what ever your wish, whether it comes in a box or walks through your front door at just the right moment, I hope you get what you want.