slyc_willie
Captain Crash
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Posts
- 17,732
I had one of those 'moments' the other day. Like the kind you see at the end of a feel-good movie, once all the conflicts have been assuaged, and everyone is happy, and the camera pans around, showing smiling faces and people enjoying themselves. I had one of those.
I stood in one of the archways between the kitchen and dining room of my restaurant, and just . . . watched. Servers taking care of their tables, couples talking and smiling, parents playing with giggling, grinning kids. There were poinsettias everywhere, Christmas music was playing through the sound system, the lighting was just right. It was one of those 'perfect' moments. The world, for once, seemed to be operating on the same harmonic chord.
There are a hundred not-so-perfect moments in our lives every year, perhaps more. But the perfect ones . . . when you give a gift to someone out of the blue, you hoped it was something they had wanted, but weren't sure, and it turns out it was tops on their list. Or something you just happen to say, unrehearsed and unexpected, and it makes someone stop and think and most of all, smile. A hug that someone really needed, which brings a tear from them as well as one of those lopsided, embarrassed but thankful looks.
This isn't a season about giving gift-wrapped boxes, about fighting over the elusive Wii, about bickering in department and shoe and toy stores over hard-to-find items. Or, at least, it shouldn't be.
Honestly, I don't care about the origins of Christmas. Celebration of Jesus? Sure. Pagan holiday Christianized? Okay. Big deal. I really don't care. What I care about is that this is the one time of the year that anyone can do something wonderful for someone else, and have an automatic excuse for doing so. 'Tis the season for shameless acts of altruism, I say.
Make someone smile. Make someone's day. Give random hugs if you want. Slip a few bucks in that red kettle next to the bell-ringer outside Wal-Mart. What's it gonna hurt ya? Smile at people. Wear a Santa hat. Open the door for an elderly couple stepping out of the restaurant, who are smiling and sated from the meal and service they just enjoyed.
And when you step through the doors of that same restaurant, ask for me. Because I'm in the mood to give you that much-needed respite from the unwarranted stress of the holidays. I'm the one who wants to inspire you to think of all the reasons that Christmas makes you smile.
Merry Christmas, AH.
Merry Christmas, my friends.
I stood in one of the archways between the kitchen and dining room of my restaurant, and just . . . watched. Servers taking care of their tables, couples talking and smiling, parents playing with giggling, grinning kids. There were poinsettias everywhere, Christmas music was playing through the sound system, the lighting was just right. It was one of those 'perfect' moments. The world, for once, seemed to be operating on the same harmonic chord.
There are a hundred not-so-perfect moments in our lives every year, perhaps more. But the perfect ones . . . when you give a gift to someone out of the blue, you hoped it was something they had wanted, but weren't sure, and it turns out it was tops on their list. Or something you just happen to say, unrehearsed and unexpected, and it makes someone stop and think and most of all, smile. A hug that someone really needed, which brings a tear from them as well as one of those lopsided, embarrassed but thankful looks.
This isn't a season about giving gift-wrapped boxes, about fighting over the elusive Wii, about bickering in department and shoe and toy stores over hard-to-find items. Or, at least, it shouldn't be.
Honestly, I don't care about the origins of Christmas. Celebration of Jesus? Sure. Pagan holiday Christianized? Okay. Big deal. I really don't care. What I care about is that this is the one time of the year that anyone can do something wonderful for someone else, and have an automatic excuse for doing so. 'Tis the season for shameless acts of altruism, I say.
Make someone smile. Make someone's day. Give random hugs if you want. Slip a few bucks in that red kettle next to the bell-ringer outside Wal-Mart. What's it gonna hurt ya? Smile at people. Wear a Santa hat. Open the door for an elderly couple stepping out of the restaurant, who are smiling and sated from the meal and service they just enjoyed.
And when you step through the doors of that same restaurant, ask for me. Because I'm in the mood to give you that much-needed respite from the unwarranted stress of the holidays. I'm the one who wants to inspire you to think of all the reasons that Christmas makes you smile.
Merry Christmas, AH.
Merry Christmas, my friends.
