Happy New Year

I know it is not officially the New Year until tomorrow, but in some place in the world it is already tomorrow, so it is okay to start the good wishes flowing. Note, I said, good wishes, not champagne, although some of that is perfectly okay in my book.

Tonight, I will be celebrating with friends at our local art center where we have a special New Year's Eve party with live music by an amazing jazz band, Miss Demeanor and the Groove Felons. This is a new band that just got started this past year, but one would think they had been together for years when listing to the music. My claim to fame is that I have sung with the lead singer, Shannon Monk, at a few benefits when I had been asked to help entertain. I was always so thankful to have Shannon there with me. She is a pro. I am not. But we do share a love of music.

My wish for all my friends, both in real time and here in cyberspace, is peace, happiness, success, and good health for the New Year. Celebrate well as we usher in another New Year, and be safe. Don't drink and drive.

Merry Christmas

I know the politically correct thing to say at this time is Happy Holidays, lest we offend someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, but I feel like being a rebel today. Besides that, I don't get the least bit offended when someone says Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa.

Those wishes mean something special to the folks who celebrate those holidays, the same way Merry Christmas means something special to me, and it doesn't take anything away from me for people to express their good wishes the way they want to.

If we all spent more time living up to the inherent meaning in all these holidays and expressions of good will, there could be no offense taken at the words used. There wouldn't be a "we" and "them" mentality that pushes us apart and makes us sensitive and defensive. There would just be "us". Mankind. Humankind. However you want to label us.

So my hope for all of us is to have a season of peace and a sense of inclusion instead of exclusion.

I will probably take most of the next two weeks off from blogging so I can celebrate Christmas and New Years with family and friends. I hope that all of you have many opportunities to likewise share the Holiday cheer, and I will see you in the New Year.

Even though I already gave you a Christmas gift with my free short story, The Last Dollar, a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't resist the impulse to give another free story. From December 24 through December 28, another short story, The Visitor, will be free for Kindle. Enjoy.