Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas and Whatnot

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Nico (left) and Christopher at the Ice celebration at the Gaylord Hotel in Orlando December 2015 


December 24, 2015

I celebrate Christmas. And 2015 seems to be the year that Nico and Christopher understand why there is an 8-foot tree in the house. The tree dons twinkling lights, colorful balls, garland and topped with Mickey Mouse waving a lighted lantern back and forth. A reference to guide Santa’s slay to our tree.

Unfortunately the two haven’t quite grasped the religious significance of December 25, a date picked to celebrate our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. They only understand God when I say things like, “God no Christopher, why did you do that?” Or, “ No Nico, for God sakes stop climbing on there.”

Now before you lash out at their dad about how "I’m a bad parent" let me give you some more ammo to judge me for my boys not fully understating Christmas place in knowing God, Jesus, and birth rights. I blame the early indoctrinated from TV. The commercials and Christmas specials like the Peanuts or The Grinch or whatever, tend o make my kids think that Christmas gifts are as cool as the commercials and, hat, I can be the Grinch who shouts, "No. Santa. Ever!

The non-stop commercializing of Christmas began November 1, or how I like to compare it: The day after Halloween, when Michael Myers, attacked the same town, he has attacked since I first watched Halloween when I was 3. Which only makes me think that Michael Myers should get out more and see the world.

Lately, I have been shopping online. It's so convenient. And I have been shopping on there so much I wouldn’t be surprised if Nico and Christopher call Hector, the United Parcel Service driver, Santa, since Hectors been to the house every day. People are going to think him and I are having an affair. Sometimes it’s a ménage à trios of trucks when the FedEx, United States Post Office, and UPS come at once. No pun intended.

Questions from my kids about why these trucks come everyday hasn’t really been brought up by them so need not worry they are questioning CHristmas and the existence of Santa. Christmas for them right now is more of a plethora of commands by me, “those aren’t your gifts, don’t touch those boxes, stop touching the tree, leave the ornaments alone, stop messing with the neighbors Christmas lights, no I can’t make you Spider Man, no daddy doesn’t know Santa Claus…because I’ll text him you’ve been naughty!”

I’m raising good kids though, and they deserve to have a nice holiday for being good in school, having good manners, and listening to authority, at least 60 percent of the time! I mean they’re 6 and 7, the only bad thing that they could do right now besides burn down the house, is not want to go to school or challenge my “no.” And I find that the only people who challenge my "no" are adults. Being a police officer No is always in my arsenal.

“Sorry ma’am, no, you can’t drive that way there’s a 3 car pile up.”

“I don’t care officer, I need to go there.”

“But ma’am, someone died in that car accident.”

“I can’t believe you’re inconveniencing me,” she said.

If you think about all the bad there is around the world and what adults have done to one and other and the environment, well, Nico, flooding the toilets in the summer of 2015 isn’t so bad. Or his brother Christopher using a permanent marker on the refurbished cabinets of my renovated kitchen in March of 2015, is well, child’s play compared to wars, bigotry, lies, cheats and deaths. We humans are sure mean to each other.

I see why there is a mythical character that my sons’ can think exist that will bring joy and good cheer. We should all believe in someone like that who gives without thought and sacrifices to make sure the world has at least on good day. We can learn from that selflessness. Wait, maybe that person isn’t an aberration. People described like that can be my parents.

I was putting up our Christmas tree with the help from my boys. Finally I trusted them enough to place the good ornaments on the lifelike artificial pre-lit, led, tree. Some of these ornaments are priceless. Thoughts of my kids shaking the tree and causing them to tumble to the ground and shatter created as much fear in me as a cat owner who decides to put up a tree every year.

“Dad, our all families doing this?”

“You mean putting up a tree?”

“Yes”

“Well, no, some people don’t celebrate the holiday because they have their own beliefs and some can’t afford to buy a tree or make ends meet.”

“Doesn’t Santa bring those kids all gifts?”

“In a perfect world no one would be suffering, and no one would be without a present during a holiday. But this isn’t always the case that’s why we have to remember that we are lucky and fortunate to have the love and caring for each other and give thanks that there are people out there that help others that can not help themselves. You have to believe in the spirit that Christmas day somewhere out there is a person spreading good cheer and sacrificing themselves to make sure others aren’t doing with out. As much as we want to believe that Santa is helping everyone we also need to believe that he has helpers, like us, helping those he can’t reach.”

“We are pretty lucky that we can celebrate.”

My sons’ may understand that Christmas equals gifts but that doesn’t mean I can’t undo what commercialism tells them. They should hear from dad to give in the spirit rather than take without thought. Merry Christmas boys’


I think of you always.


MERRY CHRISTMAS  TO EVERYONE! 2015


Nico and Captain waiting for the Walt Disney World monorail, at the Polynesian Resort December 2015


A few thought this Christmas:

This holiday I think of the 2 women who I saw while I was patrolling who could only put a few dollars of fuel in her car and I topped off their tanks. One of those ladies was stranded on the side of the road. She was so used to having no gas she kept an emergency half a gallon of gas in her trunk. I told her that was dangerous!

I was driving down the road and saw a woman with her two children waiting on the bus and it was about to rain. I quickly bought them ponchos and an umbrella.

The family struggling to buy the kids Slurpee’s, an ice treat, counting their change trying to figure out how to buy their kids a treat that so many of us take for granted, I made sure they got it all, anonymously.



Some donating I did this year:

Judd Apatow’s Night of Too Many Stars for Autism:  https://www.autismspeaks.org/site-wide/night-too-many-stars


Donated to my friends, friend who is dying of ALS: https://www.gofundme.com/8qch93xg

And the many other things I did to pay it forward.


© copyright 2015 Captain Imperfecto, LLC. All rights reserved


*Note: Many of the stops and contact I made on the side of the road to help people were done while I was on duty in my capacity as a law enforcement officer in a marked police car. You should always proceed with caution with being confronted or asked to help by someone you don’t know. When in doubt just call the police for assistance.