It's a Wonderful Life...

Everyone knows that Frank Capra's film about a man on the brink of losing everything discovers just how blessed he truly is gets played a lot this time of year. For many, it's a yearly tradition. Last night, I got to watch this beloved classic on the big screen. Yes, for a couple cans of food to be donated to one of the local food banks, a local indie theatre opened its doors and showed the original black and white version of the film.

I got to see it with some good friends, and, what's more, a person who had never before seen the film. I cannot decide whether the show in the seat next to me was better than the one on the screen or not! But as this film always does, it found me contemplating the parallels between George Bailey's life and the real world.

This last year has not been the easiest for a lot of people. Think about it: The economy stinks. Jobs are scarce. Our political structure is a wasteland of greed. We cannot care for our own. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. All the carefully laid plans of generations past are falling to pieces around us while we sit, mouths agape, fearing to do anything to upset the proverbial apple cart, to stunned to move. In scope, our society is sitting on the bridge with George Bailey, contemplating the depths of the icy waters below, and thinking somehow that we might be worth more dead than alive. It's easy to get discouraged.

It hits us all in different ways. The man who taught me to love the written word, for example, has found that he now suffers from writer's block. Several friends are trying to salvage themselves from broken marriages/engagements/relationships. Some are coping with additional pressures in the home - elderly relatives needing assistance, young children chronically ill, a never-ending supply of bills and a limited supply of cash. There are a myriad of ways in which we all experience these trials, these difficulties - and an equal number of ways in which we can deal with them.

But like George Bailey, sometimes we all need a slap in the face to help us see that even through our problems seem insurmountable to us, they are as nothing in the grand scope of our lives, for they are what make us stronger, wiser, better people. Look around, and count all the people NOT smiling this Christmas. In the malls, the plazas, in the churches and schools, in the bars and restaurants - each one of them is a person you can connect with. So busy, they're forgetting the simple joy of being alive. They need a Clarence, someone to jump into the frigid waters to wake them from their reverie, and to discover that their life is still wonderful. Can you be that angel? Even if it's a word of encouragement, an unexpected compliment, holding a door for someone, bagging their groceries as you finish yours, helping them load their car, or holding a Christmas tree so they can see it, or cracking a joke or two while standing in a check-out lane - the choice is yours to connect with these people or not.

What difference will your choice make? You might just keep George Bailey on that bridge. You never know until you try.

As for me, I will say only this: If you're reading this, you probably know me. If you know me, then know that because of you, inn some small (or large) way, you have helped make my life wonderful. Thank you.

Merry Christmas, and may you find Zu-Zu's petals in your own pocket.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

Trimming the tree...

Ahh, that greatest and best thing of all time: The Christmas Tree. Fake or real? Tall or short? White lights or colored? Themed tree or a cacophony of colors and ideas? We have made a booming industry out of the accessories involved with the Christmas Tree. And why? Because it's something that always seems to give us moments of beauty and clarity in our lives, I'd like to think.

I remember when I was growing up and we would decorate the tree (which I had scouted out on the property probably as early as July). In my defence, I was always right. After the last ornaments went on the branches, and there was hot cocoa being consumed and music playing, my father - who somehow only managed to get away with stringing the lights until we were big enough to do it for him - would look and say, "It's the best Christmas tree we've ever had." And the collective groan would go up among us all. Whether the tree was tall or short, fat or thin, full or sparse, it would always be the best three ever, and I didn't understand why or how he could say that.

Last night, I decorated the tree. This year, the tree is - a bit different. For the first time in many years, I'll be traveling for the holiday, and so I'll not be there to take care of a tree. I like real trees, and so, not being there presents a problem for taking care of the tree. But, as luck would have it, my roommate happened across a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" (yes, really - it looks just like the one from the special), and we decorated it. I pulled out my two favorite ornaments - ones that my father made, hung them up on the tree and looked at it. And you know what? It's the best tree ever. It may look hideous and deformed, but the point is, I'm here. I'm alive. I'm celebrating this holiday season with friends and family. I may never have a tree like this again....and I may have many more like it - I don'tknow. But for here, for now - it's the best Christmas Tree ever.

So today, readers, take a moment to look about you, and discover who and what make the holidays special for you, and let those people know it.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

Dear Santa...

I remember making out Christmas lists, and filling them with all the toys and various other stuffs that I wanted - those things that would be fun and fill my days with delight. I would wake up Christmas morning, hoping that underneath the tree would be the things I wanted so desperately. And I think that every single time I asked for that specific thing, I never once got it. Instead of an action figure (in my day, it was transformers) there would be a lego set. Instead of that snazzy youth football uniform, it would be the actual football, etc, etc. It was never what I expected, and never really what I asked for.

My parents had a rule: Toys were fine, but they should have some semblance of education to them. Lego sets taught you how to follow instructions. The football would become countless lessons in how to work together with someone - let alone on a team. They had another rule, too: take care of needs first. Just as often, I would find new socks, a shirt or two, and other basic needs under the tree. Needless to say, I was not quite as thrilled with those gifts, but now that I'm older and pretend to be a little wiser, I'm grateful.

But I was reminded of this the other day when a friend asked me what I would like for Christmas. My answer: I have no idea. I haven't stopped to think about it. I came up with a quick answer, though: World Peace. Today, of all days, I thought that giving a nod to world peace might be in order. As many people know, December 7th is the "Day that will live in infamy." - it marks the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that cemented the United States entering into WWII. It sent our men and women overseas to fight for freedom, and the right to attain world peace. It sent women into the factories to create a labor force while so many men were gone. It gave us allies around the world. And enemies, too.

I appeal to each of you today for my Christmas wish: Practice peace in your daily life. Maybe together, world peace can happen - eventually.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

Season of hope...

So, there I found myself yesterday, sitting at Sunday morning Mass, and the priest brought up an interesting point of the readings. From Isaiah, Romans, and Matthew, he drew upon how each of them speaks of "hope." And, of course, to drive the point home, he mentioned how we, too, find ourselves hoping in this season. A child hopes Santa finds him or her on the "nice" list, while parents hope they have enough money to help Santa make this stuff happen. Many in this day and age have a lot of things we hope for. Jobs, a turnaround in this economy, politicians we can trust, our men and women home safely from fighting overseas, and a myriad of other things that we want.

It made me realize that I hear so many people getting stressed out and upset during this season. They're often mean to others, bitter and unwelcoming. It makes me wonder why, when we're supposed to be in a giving mood, in a hopeful mood, we are instead angry at others - many of them very close to us - our family and friends. There are "realists" out there who would probably remind me that "it's difficult to stay hopeful," and they're right. It's not easy. No one ever promised it was easy, only that the reward, the prize at the end, was worth the effort. But, we were also never told that we had to do it all by ourselves. We need each other to survive.

Don't waste time and energy getting upset about things this holiday season. Instead, I would ask that each time you're really tempted to get upset and rant and rave - any instance where you're going to lose hope - focus instead on giving hope to someone else. A hug, a handshake, an "atta-boy," a word of encouragement, of thanks. Tell a parent who's having a tough time wrangling their children how precious those curtain climbers are. Compliment a stranger randomly. Or a coworker. Thank a police officer for their duty. Buy the person behind you in line a cup of coffee. Especially when you're feeling down, and not particularly hopeful - give hope to someone else. Ask nothing in return.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

What Scrooge Did.

So, as many of my friends and relations know, the Fat Kid considers himself a little bit of an actor - which is to say that I get on stage every once in a while for something fun to do. About two weeks into most rehearsals, I then realize why I never tried to become a professional actor. It seems many actors audition, get excited, and then spend the rest of the rehearsal period complaining about the show they were so psyched about...only to go and audition for a new show immediately after, and the cycle repeats itself. The cure? A show with only 2-3 rehearsals, one performance, and that's it.

I was lucky enough to engage in such a show for the last two evenings. Yes, one evening of rehearsal, one evening of performance. It was rediculously brilliant, by which I mean that its brilliance was in its rediculousness! The "Ten Minute Scrooge (with apologies to Mr. Dickens)" was nothing but the most famous lines from arguably the most famous seasonal work squished together. No frills, two props, 18 parts, and about 10 people - all having fun on a makeshift stage. My parts: gentleman solicitor #2, Fezziwig, and Joe - one of the merchants at the end...along with playing a bed, a doorway, a gravesite, and a ghost. You know - your average Thursday night. To say the least, it was slightlier more comedic than Dickens's original intent, methinks, but it was all wonderful.

But there are two things I took from this:
1) The Christmas pageant. GO. SEE. ONE. Or six. Why? Because whether it's through a church, a community theatre, a children's school, or even a professional grade full-scale production, it's worth it to laugh, cry, whatever. It kinda goes along with yesterday's post, too, of supporting your community.
2) An often-read passage - and even more often over-looked phrase in Dickens's tale is what Scrooge did when he awaoke Christmas morning. Everyone remembers that he told the street urchin/child/boy to go and get the turkey/goose hanging in the poulterer's place, and had that feast sent to Bob Cratchit's house. Everyone also remembers that he sought out the two gentlemen trying to raise funds for the poor, and he gave them a large amount of cash, saying that " a great many back payments" were included. Everyone remembers that he was telling everyone "Merry Christmas." But do you remember what else Scrooge did? He went to Church.
Before you get the idea that I'm telling you to go to church, let's look at this as a theme in literature only. The Grinch. Any holiday film on the Hallmark Channel. Probably any holiday film on ABCFamily, too. Charlie Brown's Christmas. Rudolph. Frosty. The Santa Clause. You name it - just about every single Christmas/holiday special or story has one common theme: someone messes up, and they must repent.
Whether you have a religious influence in your life, or whether you've wronged someone - repent during this holiday season. Ask for forgiveness from your god, from your friends, from your family. And if forgiveness is asked of you, I encourage you to give it freely, whether or not you've gotten it from others. Repent from the heart, forgive from the heart. The only requirement is that you mean it.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

A Little Christmas Music...

Everyone knows them - the Christmas standards. All those little songs that we remember only at this time of the year. Everything from Jungle Bells and Frost the Snowman to O Holy Night and Auld Lange Syne can be heard at just about every venue, and even in the car on your commute into work. And it crosses all genres of music - everyone puts out a Christmas CD - except maybe rap and hip-hop....but I'll confess my own ignorance on that part - maybe they record CDs, maybe they don't. I just don't know. But the point is, music makes the holiday for a LOT of us.

So it has been in my life, and the lives of many others, thanks to a community just east of the city of Syracuse, NY, and the efforts of a few individuals over the last 39 years. The select choir of Chittenango High School (shameless plug) has been singing its way through the Christmas season, carrying the spirit of the season (be it secular or religious) with it, and hopefully making the holidays better for a great many individuals.

Thirty-Nine years ago, they began it simply: A concert, held in candlelight, of the choir singing a cappella along with narration from the Gospel (I want to say it's from Luke). As the verses are read - in my days there it was by a respected member of the community and school - the choir would sing carrols from time to time: Joy to the World, God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen - as fit the Gospel telling. It was supported by the community and by the school. An individual's particular brand of faith didn't matter - it was a community event. No one was forced to attend, and yet, it seemed like the auditorium was packed every single year. It was a beautiful marriage of school, community, and faith coming together to celebrate the season. Whether you went simply to enjoy the sound of the choir, the message of the Gospel, or even just because it was a tradition, it was a good thing for the community. It was an opportunity to practice being a community.

Sadly, events like this are becoming more and more rare by the day. Under the guise of the seperation of Church and State, more communities are staying away from events like the Candlelight Concert - because they do not wish to offend anyone, and they are afraid of any repercussions. What a shame - that during the most festive season of the year, communities are now practicing "fear" rather than "tolerance." Whether you believe in the ancient pagan religions that celebrated the winter solcetice, or the Jewish tradition of Hannukah (sorry for any spelling errors), or the Christian tradition of Christmas, or the traditions of Kwanzaa, or even the secular traditions of Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer - this is a season of celebration, of culture, of religion, and should be a time when we put aside our differences, and celebrate as communities of people who live and work together.

I would ask anyone reading this to look for events in your community that maybe aren't your normal holiday traditions, and attend them. These are people in your community - your friends and neighbors. Get to know them and their traditions.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid

Oh where, oh where has the fat kid gone???

Wow - December already? How did that happen? OK, OK, so it's been a long time since the Fat Kid has published anything on here. Why? Well, to those in the know, it's been an eventful summer and fall. For those who don't know and want to know more, send me an e-mail or something - I'm not that difficult to find. Here is not the appropriate venue. Suffice it to say, though, that the Fat Kid has had quite a few changes in his life, and they have left him with no time to blog. But finally, things have settled down, the holiday season is upon us, and so it's time for a monthly project-ish thing again.

So, as I sit here with Pandora playing Christmas music in the background, the snow falling down outside, I am dedicating this month's posts to the beauty of the holiday season, as I witness it fully. Thoreau wrote of how he went to Walden Pond to "live deliberately, to suck the marrow out of life" (ok, not an exact quote) - what better way to experience the holidays than to imitate Thoreau's zeal? No, I'm not suggesting that we all abandon our lives as we know them and go off and live like hermits - afterall, if we did that, why bother writing this blog? No, I would encourage you to look at each moment of your life during this month, and look for something beautiful in it. Especially during this season, find the beauty in life.

One of my fondest memories growing up was a stack of old vinyl records my parents would play in rotation all during the holidays. Now, there were a few secular records, compilations of different musicians singing things like "Silver Bells" and all the classics, and many were also of a more religious bent, specifically from the Benedictine monks of Weston Abbey in Vermont. Those guys can really sing, I tell you. But The record stack would go on the turntable, and the tree would be plugged in, and the lights out. We'd sit and watch the tree. That's it. Just sit and watch it. I would look at the patterns on the ceiling, of pine boughs and colored lights, and a glint of silver or gold that reflected off an ornament here and there. It's something I've always enjoyed. For me, it is a perfect moment - peaceful and relaxing.

Today, I wonder how many moments we get like that anymore. So - take a moment, if you will, and share with me your stories, your moments of peace, something beautiful about your holiday. It doesn't have to be anything specific - it just has to be a beautiful moment to you.

Thanks for reading.

The Fat Kid