Christmas Day

Christmas morning and the thought of cooking after a sleepless night was not appealing.  I wondered briefly if Mrs. Claus had ever just thrown a biscuit in the microwave after Kris' most-famous annual ride.  Something told me that if she'd ever spent a night tossing and turning while her man snored to beat the band beside her, she probably did.  Christmas Day or no.

My man lumbered in to the obscured view my cocoon on the couch afforded me, cheerful as though he were the one that was gifted cookies and milk throughout the night.  As is tradition in my house, we begin opening a present a night at least three days in advance, leaving the biggest surprises under the tree.  Presumably, this is what led to The Man's jolly mood as his largest present still sat under the tree like a saving beacon on a shipwreck night.  But I, being that most non-morning person imaginable, could've cared less about a similar package beckoning to me.

I grunted someting about crawling back up the stairs to the bed now that he was done with his baritone solo and flopped on to my other side.  Unfazed, his mood faltered only briefly as he sipped his first cup of coffee.

"I want to open my present."  He declared.

"Good.  Go ahead."  I responded, muffled by the pillow I had shoved my face into.  Better to block out that strange, bright laser people refer to as morning sun.

"Don't you want to open yours?"  He ventured.

"Sure.  At some point."  I could hear the screaming of his dying holiday spirit as I crushed it out of him.  Well, damn.  It was Christmas afterall.  I pushed myself up and braced against the back of the couch.  "Go get 'em."  I smiled.  Something cracked.  Ugh...mornings are for people with no nightlife.

Watching him bring back my present with a huge grin plastered upon his face had me warming up.  Gifts opened, exciting surprises and I was almost myself.  My stomach grumbled.  It hadn't quite caught up with me yet.

"I want to go get Starbucks."  Duh.  It's an addiction - not like I'm gonna function long without it.

"Starbucks is open?"

"The one in Safeway is until two."

"Safeway is open?"

"Hopefully, or that would be awkward."

The parking lot was almost packed.  Apparently the coffee shop and grocery store hadn't kept it a secret for only the priveleged.  But, steamy hot chai in hand and I was practically skipping.  Afterall, it had been a wonderful Christmas and now I could spend the day relaxing with my man.  My stomach grumbled again.  The chai was filling enough, I suppose.

"I want breakfast. Let's go somewhere.  Wanna go to get something?"  I asked as I rolled the car up the driveway.

"They won't be open."

"Oh, yes they are."  I backed out again and headed towards my breakfast utopia.  The main thoroughfare was quite busy at 10:30 in the morning as people made their way to other locations.  We spied a Village Inn with a crammed parking lot.  Undeterred, I headed on, looking for the Ihop I knew was just up on the left.

"See?"  I beamed, snagging a spot close to the door.  It was busy, but we didn't even have to wait for a seat.

"Wow.  I remember when nothing was open on Christmas."  My man observed with some reverance.

"Yep.  But then people began to make a stink.  I mean, I understand though.  This country is made up of Christians, Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Athiests, Pagans, you name it.  And our constitution separates church and state, yet everything was always closed on Christmas.  Must've sucked growing up penalized for a holiday you didn't even celebrate."

He just nodded absently.  Being a born and bred Baptist, raised in the church, I could understand that he wasn't exactly keen about Christmas revelers becoming so lax.  But my belief system understands the plights of each and I have been taught to respect any personal endeavor that allows someone to be good to him/herself and that which surrounds her/him.

So, for me it's simple: those who do not wish to partake in a celebration or religious practice should not be forced to acknowledge it or limited by it, but for those who choose to participate in certain observances they should be respected and allowed that freedom.

I realized that although I am a bit of a slow starter for the Winter holidays and am not a Christian, I do enjoy the celebrations and thankfully I do not come under the radar of those groups who seek to destroy the beliefs of others.  I do not see why Atheists must single out Christians.   In my eyes, there is no need for a Catholic to fear a hereditary witch or an Agnostic person to feel the censure of a devout Jehovah's Witness.  And so on.  These things only seek to weaken us as a people.  Me?  I'm proud to celebrate my family and friends during this time of year and welcome the festivities closing out another twelve months of experience and learning.