{"id":12885,"date":"2019-12-25T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12885"},"modified":"2019-12-24T15:41:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T20:41:54","slug":"christmas-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12885","title":{"rendered":"Christmas \u2013 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12886\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?attachment_id=12886\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?fit=200%2C216&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,216\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?fit=200%2C216&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?fit=200%2C216&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12886 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?resize=200%2C216&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"216\" \/>To my family and friends and all other readers of the Townehouse, here are a few thoughts I have had about Christmas over the past few days.\u00a0 I would like to share them with all of you.\u00a0 Sharing this article with you is my Christmas present to you all.\u00a0 I realize this gift cost me nothing but time and some digital space, but remember, the joy is in the giving.\u00a0 So, joyfully given, here are my Christmas Thoughts.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Have you ever wondered why we say Merry Christmas, yet for almost every other occasion we use the word \u201cHappy\u201d as in \u201chappy birthday\u201d,\u201d happy New Year\u201d, \u201cHappy Fourth of July<sup>\u201d<\/sup>, and so on.\u00a0 Why do we prefer that Christmas be Merry, and not Happy?\u00a0 Saying Happy Christmas does have an odd ring to it but there are several other adjectives that may prove just as useful.\u00a0 I would like to wish you a Joyful Christmas, or how about Have a Blessed Christmas.\u00a0 I suppose we are not restricted in our greetings so we can say whatever we want.\u00a0 So, from me to you, Merry, Happy, Joyful, Blessed Christmas!<\/p>\n<p>I believe Christmas, above all other holidays is about family.\u00a0 After all, the origin of Christmas celebrates a very family occasion with the birth of a brand-new baby to a family. I truly enjoy my family and look forward to spending time with them always, but mostly during the Christmas Season.\u00a0 But I want to say that family does not mean a large gathering of people.\u00a0 Some have very little family to spend time with and some have no family at all.\u00a0 So, if your family consists of many people who gather during the season, or just two spouses together at Christmas Service, or even just you and a dog on your lap, be glad because that means you are loved and not alone.\u00a0 Sadly, everyone does not have family.\u00a0 Some are all alone, on the streets, in homeless shelters, or incarcerated.\u00a0 Imagine what it must be like.\u00a0 Say a prayer for those without family.\u00a0 Remember the old expression, there but for the Grace of God go I.<\/p>\n<p>I want to mention one more group, those who have family but cannot share the holiday with them.\u00a0 I am referring to our Military who are stationed far away from home, for our first responders who are on the job keeping us safe, for the Doctors and Nurses in hospitals and emergency rooms, municipal workers, and others, far to many to mention,\u00a0 whose dedication to service allows the rest of us to spend the holidays with our family.\u00a0 A hearty thank you to all of them.\u00a0 May you all have a Merry, Happy, Joyful, and Blessed Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, I cannot close without extending my most profound wishes of joy and happiness to my Wife, my children and grandchildren both near and far, but particularly to those who I will not see during this holiday.\u00a0 And of course, my siblings, my in-laws, and there families.\u00a0 \u00a0Did I miss anyone?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Those are my thoughts, what are yours?<\/p>\n<p>Feel free to comment, like, share, agree or disagree with this post.\u00a0 Please consider a free subscription.\u00a0 Options to like and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/subscription-info\/\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0can be found elsewhere on the page.\u00a0 Thank you for reading the Townehouse Blog.<\/p>\n<p>This material may be published, broadcast, or redistributed.\u00a0 In fact, I encourage it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To my family and friends and all other readers of the Townehouse, here are a few thoughts I have had about Christmas over the past few days.\u00a0 I would like to share them with all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_daextrevo_audio_file_creation_date":"","_daextrevo_text_to_speech":"","_daextrevo_document_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/merry-christmas-2019-text-with-elegant-vector-22962599.jpg?fit=200%2C216&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=71","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":0},"title":"Merry Christmas, that&#8217;s right I said it, Merry Christmas","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Merry Christmas! Merry, Merry Christmas! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! See how easy it is to say the words. I did not feel compelled, not even once to say Happy Holidays. Why? Because this time of the year is when we celebrate Christmas. On December 25th, all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Opinion&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=21"},"img":{"alt_text":"2F_Button_background copy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/merry-christmas-jesus-he-came-for-you-ornament-on-tree-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1227,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=1227","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":1},"title":"Christmas Day \u2013 2014","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This may very well be the shortest blog article you ever see from me. I guess that is my Christmas Gift to those who read the Townehouse Phoenix. May you have a very Merry Christmas. If you do not share my faith, then may you have a most Happy Holiday.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Miscellaneous&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"star-over-bethlehem-150x150","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/star-over-bethlehem-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":805,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=805","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":2},"title":"Christmas Day, 2013","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I have had the good fortune to have been on this planet now for many a Christmas and I am happy to report I am still here for yet another Christmas. Christmas is, without a doubt, a magical time of the year. We all seem to become a little more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christmas, 2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/download-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11941,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=11941","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":3},"title":"Ghosts of Christmas Past","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I am sure that everyone has seen some rendition of \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d. I have seen many versions over many years. So when I speak of Ghosts from Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future you will have a notion of what I am talking about. My Ghosts of Christmas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nostalgia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nostalgia","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=20"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/painting-repro-font-b-Christmas-b-font-font-b-Village-b-font-Guaranteed-100-Free-shipping.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":300,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=300","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":4},"title":"Merry Christmas!","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I want to take this opportunity and to use this venue to wish all who read this a very Merry Christmas. Just in case you are wondering, I am not sitting in front of my computer writing this article on Christmas morning. What type of a grinch do you think\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Peace On Earth","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/nativity-siloutte080-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12893,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12893","url_meta":{"origin":12885,"position":5},"title":"Merry Every Day!","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas for 2019 has come and gone.\u00a0 Wow, that was quick.\u00a0 I know that some folks enjoy an extended Christmas season.\u00a0 Some based on their religious preferences enjoy the Christmas season on into the first week of January.\u00a0 But not at our house.\u00a0 The boss lady, who loves Christmas and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/ChristmasTreeDown.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p38YRh-3lP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12885"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12892,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12885\/revisions\/12892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}