MY WISHES 

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Since the dawn of humankind, folks have watched the world grow dark as the Winter Solstice approaches.  Nearly every culture has a festival to encourage the return of the light, literally and spiritually, and nearly all those festivals involve manmade illumination:  bonfires, candles, hearth fires, strings of electric bulbs, or four-foot glowing reindeer on our front lawns.

This year the world needs all the light it can get.  Lay in extra firewood, burn more candles, plug in another string of Christmas bulbs and hey, lighten up.

A Christmas (pig) Carol

Good King Wenceslas cooked out
On the feast of Lucy
To his grill brought spare ribs stout,
Lean and oh so juicy.
Brightly shone his 'skeeter light
For the gnats were cruel,
But no gas flame rose in sight.
He was out of fuel.

"Bring me ham," we heard him whine,
"Bring me cooked kielbasa,
Bring me pigs' feet cured in brine,
Pork freeze-dried by NASA."
Then the monarch forth he went
To his favorite deli,
To repeat his wild lament,
And fill up his belly.

And for my Jewish friends:                         

A  Hanukkah (pig) Carol

The boar's head is not my wish,
For it is not a kosher dish,
So bring me some gefilte fish,
Herring, schnitzel, strudel, OY!
Matzo balls and kugel, too,
But don't serve pork 'cause I'm a Jew.

The boar's head as you know well
Is the rarest dish in Yisrael,
But lox we got in every dell
Chocolate gelt's so yummy, OY!
Matzo balls and kugel, too,
But don't serve pork 'cause I'm a Jew.

And lastly:

A Prayer       
 Taken from the 1787 diary of Martha Ballard

but still fitting

Now the year is ended,
It happy is if we are mended.
God grant if not we may be.

Wishing everyone laughter, hope, and joy
this season.
And more than anything–
PEACE.  

Buona Natale  Merry Christmas  Happy Holidays

Happy New Year!

Elena