"GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST! AND ON EARTH! PEACE AND GOODWILL TOWARDS ALL!!!"
Hello,
Have you ever had that day where you were so happy about a gift you got that you thought it was one of the best presents of all time? To me, that was the case. Getting a stuffed animal (seal) at 7... Top Gear 3000 when I was 10... $100 every Christmas Morning... or the year my family went to see Double Dare Live back in 1994.
But to me, those gifts had something that we all used: Money.
I realized more and more that these gifts cost money and that I had a gift that we received each Christmas that my family was failing to recognize each year.
Tonight, I had the privilege of going to a 4:00pm mass at St. Agnes Catholic. This was where my fiance went to church with her family. We saw Tommy and Ryan come out as 2 of the 3 kings and Cassie noted there was another "wardrobe malfunction" because Tommy's crown didn't particularly fit his head correctly.
What began with "O Come All Ye Faithful" (sort of muted due to the fact they don't really have a pipe organ) to the readings... I kept thinking to myself...
We reached the homily/sermon and Father Harris delivered a message about gifts. Everyone's going to be waking up at 4... 5... 6... 7... am to open up gifts. I know Joanna's family will be but I won't be there to begin the morning like I did last year as I will be opening up gifts with my family at my sister's house.
One of the things that I told you about last season was the fact that our ULTIMATE GIFT is Jesus himself. Jesus is the center of Christianity and today we welcome him into our world.
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But doesn't it aggravate you that it is the same message every year? Why can't it be different?
It just can't because it is the same important message every year.
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Let me tell you a little story about how death wasn't going to take a holiday.
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The story begins with all of the MASH personnel receiving their gifts from home only to be notified by Klinger that the food that they ordered for their holiday party with the Korean children would not come. So in the spirit of giving, the MASH personnel gave their food from home, however Major Winchester only gave over a small can of sardines despite getting 4 large packages from home (hence the Ebenezer Scrooge reference).
Later in the episode, he takes the chocolate and other items of note to a Korean orphanage, the man who ran the orphanage happily accepted the gift. Winchester said that the gift must remain: "anonymous" as it was an old family tradition.
The next day was Christmas and everyone was ready for the festivities to begin. However, a soldier was brought in from the field who was allegedly left out in the cold. Major Houlihan rushed to the soldier to check him. As BJ and Hawkeye were readying themselves for the party, they were called upon by Houlihan to check the soldier. They set up the operating room for him and rushed him in.
During the surgery, Houlihan said it was no use and they would have to just let him go. But BJ had another idea that Houlihan initially objected to but agreed to because she felt the same way BJ did about keeping him alive long enough to not have the soldier's kids remember Christmas as, "the day their daddy died."
Meanwhile, everyone was having fun at the holiday party except for Winchester because he was being a total scrooge about the can of sardines he gave over. Then Winchester was notified that his candy shipment to the orphanage was sold to the black market by the owner. He took the owner and angrily demanded that he get the candy back. Klinger was on the other hand listening in. The man said he couldn't because the money was gone. He pleaded forgiveness but he emphasized that it would've brought great joy to the children for a few moments but... what he sold it for was enough rice and cabbage to feed the children for a full month.
Winchester realized what the man had did was completely unselfish and then said: "It's not appropriate to give one dessert when he hasn't had dinner." He was incredibly distraught about his selfishness and retired to his tent.
Meanwhile, back in the operating room, Hawkeye, BJ, Houlihan were doing the best they could to keep the man alive past Christmas. Father Mulcahy joined the group after being alerted by Colonel Potter about the man's moribund condition.
Klinger, who overheard that spat, brought dinner to Winchester and claimed that the source of the dinner was to remain "anonymous" as it was an "old family tradition." Winchester remembered what he had said to the owner of the orphanage. He turned to Klinger and said: "Thank you, Max." Then Klinger replied with, "Merry Christmas... Charles."
Back in the operating room, it was 11:30pm, and they were incredibly close to delaying his death long enough to go past Christmas. However, the soldier's pulse was lost and BJ demanded more surgery but Hawkeye said: "No... It's over, let's let him rest." Houlihan said when it came to death... there was no band, no nothing... She worked on getting the certificate of death but then Hawkeye came up with a brainstorm to fix the situation. He saw the clock, opened it, push the big hand past 12 and said: "Look he made it... Time of death, 12:05, December 26." Houlihan didn't like the idea of "falsifying the record" however Mulcahy calmed her saying: "Christmas should be thought of as a time of birth."
As they came out knowing they missed the Christmas party for the children, Colonel Potter dressed as Santa said they were "good little boys and girls." He had a gift for them. A Korean boy held up a plate and said: "Fudge," Potter said it was the last four piece. Each one took a piece and BJ said: "Merry Christmas."
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That episode of MASH drew more than 66.2 million viewers because the it was so surreal and most of all it was upsetting because death almost took a holiday.
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Tonight everyone, no matter where you are, why don't you take you and your family to church tonight and enjoy the peace, love, and support of God while you are witnesses to Christ's birth.
Tonight is a holy, magical, and starry night (Though this is probably one of the foggiest christmases I've ever been a part of). It's also a fun night.
Tonight, sing to the high heavens above, let the Angels and the Glory of the Lord hear you! O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL! JOYFUL AND TRIUMPHANT!
Tonight is the night that we bear witnesses to our savior's birth. The weary world does rejoice today amongst all the protests and darkness that has been prevalent in the last few months.
And when you are with your families today and tomorrow... remember those who are less fortunate... people who don't have enough... military families who lost a member fighting in a war or are still overseas not able to see their loved ones... we also remember loved ones who are lost.
I do want to say a special Merry Christmas to Audrey Maggio, for whom this blog is dedicated to. This is the Fraziers first Christmas without her. I also want to say good bye to Mr. Andrew as well as he passed away at the age of 58 from a brain hemorrhage.
Tonight... Let us be joyful and sing high praises.
And before you open that gift tomorrow, just remind yourself of who you have to be thankful that Christmas is here and alive.
Thank you everyone, Merry Christmas, and enjoy.
~ Joshua
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