Christmas Wishes

Originally published 12/2/07

The sounds of Christmas are in the air. At every toy commercial, my four-year old says “I want that for Christmas.” She probably won’t be getting everything. I hope she has the attitude of her brother when he was four. When my son opened his football tee, he said, with tears in his eyes, “I would have been happy with just this for Christmas.”

I’ve learned some other good lessons around Christmas as well. One year I received my first ten-speed bike. I went outside to give it a test drive and found that it didn’t change gears exactly like it was supposed to.

I went inside and pitched a fit to my dad, who had stayed up half the night putting it together. After getting very little sleep, dad wasn’t exactly in the mood to hear my complaining. That was the day I deserved a good spanking, but didn’t get one.

After reflecting on that episode for a while, I finally realized that parents aren’t required by law to buy their children anything for Christmas. Any gift I received meant that the family had less money for something else. Therefore, I should be grateful for anything I received.

This lesson of contentment has come in handy throughout life. Some employees think of their employers as their parents at Christmas. Some employees think they are entitled to annual raises, bonuses, health insurance, or other expensive “presents.” There’s no law, however, that requires employers to provide these things. That’s why I’m grateful for every raise I receive and every benefit I have.

In spite of my general contentment, there are still a few things on my wishlist. Here’s what I want the most.

I wish the Upper Cumberland economy depended more on people being creative and innovative and less on people being sick.

I wish there was a store in Cookeville that carried all of the merchandise that is on display, but not in stock, at all of the other stores in Cookeville.

I wish there were more service-oriented businesses in Cookeville that could accomplish something even when “the person that does that” is out to lunch or out of the office.

I wish restaurants would stop selling bacon by the slice. Bacon should come in big baskets, like rolls, with free refills.

I wish I had the money to buy a tract of land now before the county buys it all.

I wish Cookeville had a new movie theater. Sorry, that one’s been on the list for so long that I can’t get it off.

I wish Cookeville had a few more nail salons and payday loan establishments. Just kidding about that one.

I wish I had the 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig baseball card ending tonight on eBay (just in case my wife actually reads this).

I wish fewer of my students would ask “Do I need to know that for the test?”

I wish more of my students would ask “Where can I find out more about that?”

Finally, I wish a merry and contented Christmas to everyone in the Upper Cumberland.