Why I Loved Christmas As A Kid

Written By Don Shetterly

The day that many people have been waiting for has arrived.  If you're like me, Christmas Day is one of those times as a kid that I looked to in anticipation.  For days and weeks before, I struggled to sleep.

For me, I loved the Christmas programs at school and church.  Often, I would get to play the piano for all the Christmas music.  Also, my mom baked all kinds of Christmas goodies and cookies and candy.  It was fun decorating the Christmas cookies with her.

It also meant that for one day out of the year, we could just be kids and not have to go outside and work meaningless tasks on my father's to-do-list.  There were other aspects of the day that were not as pleasant, but I'm avoiding them in this blog post.

One other thing I loved about Christmas as a kid was seeing the decorated Christmas tree and all the tinsel and decorations and lights on it.  Living in the rural Midwest with the white snow-covered landscape, I loved to see Christmas lights on homes in the area.  The snow reflected the lights beautifully.  I am still mesmerized by the Christmas lights on houses.

These days things have changed for me, and I don't see Christmas in the same way as when I was a kid.  I still love Christmas Music playing in the background.  I still love the lights, decorations, and cookies.

It bothers me when I see people talking about this war on Christmas as if everything needs to be a battle.  Afterall, I think many who feel this way have lost sight of the true meaning of what Christmas is.  It is too easy to get lost in the "purchasing frenzy" and then claim there is a war on Christmas.  I believe some need to do some serious soul-searching before they proclaim what they do.  Unfortunately, the attitude of divisiveness seems to be the way of our society.

Regardless of how you view Christmas, I hope you have an enjoyable day.  I hope the joy and peace that comes on this day stay longer than a few hours or a couple of weeks.  I hope you took time out to not just focus on what you got, but that you gave back to someone else.

My only Christmas wish is that we as a civilization will start to practice love throughout the entire year.  I wish for respect and humility and kindness.  May we all start seeing one another through eyes where we recognize each other as human, not enemies.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings to each one who visits my blog!  Don't forget, if you want to hear some beautiful Christmas music, check out my Christmas Cd.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 11/30/17 by Don Shetterly

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Going To Bed Hungry As A Kid

This is a topic I have not written much about and partly because I think it is still at the core of issues I have yet to heal.  When you go through hunger, you learn in life that there is not enough in life.  Trying to undo these teachings you have learned is difficult at best.

As a kid, we were poor.  Maybe not quite dirt poor, but poor.  I have nothing else to compare it to, because it seemed normal and so framing it in any other way is almost impossible.  I saw other kids as having much more.

Because of my dad's inability to hold down a job or working at jobs that provided little income and stability, many times we just didn't have enough to eat.  I remember getting the government handouts of powdered milk, dried eggs, peanut butter and cheese.  There were many days I remember that this is all we had to eat and I got so tired of these things, that it took me a long time to like them again.

I remember going to bed hungry many times.  I remember having nothing more than popcorn to eat.  What we ate at the family supper table, wouldn't feed most people these days.  To have candy or cookies or soft drinks, that was considered a luxury.  My mom did the best with what she had, but there was just not enough.

However, somehow, my dad and one brother were always overweight.  My other brother and I were underweight most of my childhood.  How they got overweight, I'll never understand.  My only thought is that there must have been a stash of food hidden somewhere that I didn't know about and it was used as a reward/punishment mechanism for the horrible abuse that went on.  Somehow I missed out on that part of the abuse.

Going to school, we usually got free lunches or reduced lunches.  While other kids complained and threw their food away in the trash, it was sometimes the most we got to eat.  I didn't complain.  I was just happy to get something to eat and could never understand my friends who were picky eaters.

I see people treating school lunch programs as a divisive issue in this country.  To those kids that don't have enough to eat, that free school lunch they may get could most likely be all they eat in a day.  I don't see most of the people screaming about the school lunch program looking thin and having to go without meals.

It is easy to vilify those different than us and those that don't have as much, but for kids that have to go to bed hungry, it is a matter of life and death to them.  It isn't fun to have your little tummy begging for something to eat and there is nothing in the house.  It isn't easy to keep yourself going and grow normally when the food is scarce.  It is hard to concentrate and sleep.  It is hard to function.  It is hard to learn in school when you're so hungry.

One of the things I do now in my life is I help support Children International.  I love this organization because even in the worst of times, I know that there are children out there going to bed hungry.  They don't have enough to eat.  Sometimes they don't even have a regular bed to sleep on or shoes to wear. 

Because of what I have been through in my own life, I will not turn my back on those in need.  I wish I could help more than I do, but I'm trying to do all I can with the means that I have.  I get disgusted by those who have plenty act as if those who do not are some type of horrible humans.

I can only be reminded in this of the movie by Tom Shadyac called "I AM".  If you haven't seen it and if you think the poor in this world need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps - go watch this movie!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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