Happy Xmas (War is Over)

I know it’s after Christmas.  It seems my Christmas posts are often after the fact.  Hey, it’s a busy season.  But you know that.  

Last year, Heidi was just recovering from brain surgery.  That’s what got written.  The year before I was with my mom for her last days at Christmas time.  I missed her.  So it’s been a couple of years since I wrote a Christmas post. 

It’s New Year’s Eve and we just took down the ornaments from the tree, wound up the Christmas lights, carried the tree outdoors, swept up the pine needles, put the boxes of decorations back into the attic, put away our suitcases from our Christmas travels, tucked away our presents, put the house back in order.  It is a good feeling to get back to normal.  Sort of. 

When we were putting up the tree in early December, it was fun to put create a “Traditional American Christmas” station on Pandora.  When else are you going to listen to Dean Martin, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, old Nat and the rest of the Christmas Crooners?  “Jingle Bell Rock” feels right.  I love hearing “Merry Christmas Baby” and “Santa Clause Is Coming To Town” by Springsteen.  No other time does the music reflect the season.

I have to admit that Christmas music gets old after a while and the commercialism creeps in…  What are we going to get for her?  Is that enough of a present?  We aren’t regifting that to the person who gave it to us, right? 

So, I’m glad it’s over.  Time to return to normal.  Normal clothes, normal food, normal music, normal day-to-day. 

During the season I heard “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon.  I have always loved that song. The lyrics are so sweet, so simple, so inspired.  It is a best-wishes song filled with positive affirmations.  It is also a dare.  Seems to me that Lennon dared us to make the world a better place for the weak, the strong, the rich, the poor.  For the black, white, yellow and red ones.

But we have to work at it. While the world is so wrong, we can do better.  Right?  The lyrics in parentheses say it all.  War is over if you want it.  War is over if you want it.  War is over if you want it.  War is over.  Now.  It’s almost like a mantra.  Would that the whole world would repeat this simple mantra.  Maybe then we could have the world that Christ wanted for all of us.

Here is one of Lennon’s gifts to us.  It is fun to listen to.  Very hard to watch.  Not one for the kiddies to see.  That’s for sure. 

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

(Happy Xmas Kyoko

Happy Xmas Julian)

So this is Xmas

And what have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Xmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Xmas (war is over)

For weak and for strong (if you want it)

For rich and the poor ones (war is over)

The world is so wrong (if you want it)

And so happy Xmas (war is over)

For black and for white (if you want it)

For yellow and red ones (war is over)

Let's stop all the fight (now)

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Xmas (war is over)

And what have we done (if you want it)

Another year over (war is over)

A new one just begun (if you want it)

And so happy Xmas (war is over)

We hope you have fun (if you want it)

The near and the dear one (war is over)

The old and the young (now)

A very Merry Xmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

War is over, if you want it

War is over now

Happy Xmas

If you are one of the folks who read my blog – thanks.   I would probably write anyway, but it is reassuring to know that someone at the other end takes a look.  Have a happy and peaceful new year.  Let’s make it a good one.