I suppose it was the Redskins that served as the trigger. Or the time of year. It's late December and my beloved Washington Redskins are yet again forcing me to watch another year go down the crapper. What's that? You don't recall the Redskins being a great team? I can't blame you, it was a long time ago. The Redskins, perhaps sensing this, have girded themselves with nostalgia. A trip to the Pit of Misery known as Fedex Field (the parking lots....oh, the horror), bears this out. The ubiquitous "Ring of Honor" exhibits the names of fallen gladiators now aged or deceased. The legion of fans sporting Riggo or Theismann jerseys (the occasional Dexter K. Manley is thrown in). The "throwback" gear that was made in Taiwan last May. Or, in what seems the ultimate in excess, "This Day in Redskin History," a burgundy and gold tribute to better times.
Enough about the Redskins. I don't want to talk about the game.
This time of year, we are bombarded with nostalgia. Switch on the radio, and you'll hear 10,000 versions of holiday standards touting the simple pleasures of hearth and home. Click on the TV, and you can see holiday programs you watched as a child. Every year, this Christmas is "going to be the best Christmas ever!" Cars have bows on them. Chestnuts are roasted in open fires, just like the ones I used to know, and all I want for Christmas is....yoooooouuuuu.
This isn't to say the songs aren't good, or the season sucks. It's fun, really. And, to be honest, I think I had more fun at Christmas when I was a kid. It's the idea of "the good ole' days" that I quibble with.
I don't think they were better. Or worse. I think that a young GI leaving for Europe in 1942 did not feel too differently from a young GI shipping out to Afghanistan today. I think that the risk of a nuclear Armageddon today is the same as it was 15 years ago. All of us worry about paying our bills and enjoying the time we have to live our lives and love our loves. We are truly blessed and fortunate if we're able to accomplish all three of those things.
I think it's good to honor the past, and to remember the spirits of those who may have touched your life. The re-creation of the past, or the pining over past glories is something very different. Remember the lessons of yesterday, and enjoy today.
Boy, are you sure you're not channeling your inner schoolgirl!? The fact is that the Redskins blow donkey balls and will until they have a cohesive plan for success that focuses on consistency rather than flashiness. Santanna Moss embodies what is wrong with that team. He makes one catch and celebrates like it's his fifth touchdown. So much for Devin Thomas being a gamebreaker too, eh?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we live to die. That's all there is to it. If anything, this holiday underscores that we are ruled by our past, not liberated by it. The shackles of Christmas lock around our necks once more...only death will liberate us from the misery of this joy!