Mark’s Musings – December 25, 2013

Mark Fortune

Ahh, Christmas. Glorious Christmas as the saying goes from the popular movie that airs for 24 hours straight each Christmas. Of course I will have it on. Silly question, that.

Each year our expectation of this special day – perhaps the most special of all days – tends to wrap itself up in a bow all neat and tidy. Expectations of the perfect gift, the perfect meal, the perfect family get-together, you know the rest of the story.

Somewhere along the way, reality sets in and those expectations dim in the light that is the imperfect world in which we live. The nightly newscast talking heads reveal another human tragedy spread across the globe. One year it’s a school tragedy, another year a weather calamity, still another something else. We can sometimes hardly grasp the enormity of the nightmare that has befallen another American family or another nation around the world.

And yet, somehow, in between and mixed in with all of these events, Christmas Day is special. It is perfect. It is special in the quiet that envelops you when you venture outside. With very little traffic flowing, few, if any, businesses open, many factories shut down for a day or so, the stillness is almost deafening. But it is something I look forward to each Christmas. It is a solemn reminder that much – if not most – of the world still recognizes this special day on the calendar. Thankfully.

We have not yet lost the significance of Christmas Day as we have so many others throughout the year.

As I travel around and throughout our community, many people have taken the time to observe the holiday with colorful displays of light, nativity scenes, playful renditions of “A Christmas Story”, and others. Let’s not let their efforts go unappreciated – thank your neighbors and friends when you see them. For many, this is a way to express the season, or share their joy with family and friends. Perhaps for some it is a way to remember someone special that they lost this past year or in years past.

Whatever the reason, there is cause to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ child. Let us pause this Christmas Day to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas.

Normally in this column we write a whimsical bit about the Browns, the Buckeyes or other light hearted matter that strikes our fancy. This week, besides sharing my thoughts about Christmas – which do seem to change a bit each year – it is with a heavier heart that our community mourns the loss of Robin Coffman. For those that have enjoyed Robin’s presentation of the annual Coshoctonian Award each year at the Chamber dinner, you know that to Robin, it was an honor and a privilege to give that talk and share important moments from each of the recipients lives. I always felt that he enjoyed it as much as those that were awarded. Robin, you will be missed.

Category: Mark's Musings