Merry Christmas, one and all. I know that some may not celebrate this holiday. I know that many do, but care not for the religious significance. I know that most are overly concerned with receiving gifts. I know that some are more concerned with what they are giving.
I don't care about all that nonsense. Sure, getting and giving are fun; but, gifts are decidedly beside the point. You don't celebrate? No problem. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, just the same. Those who know me well, know that I am not at all religious. So, allow me to share what it means to me to wish you well this holiday season.
I hope, more than anything, that the coming year will brings you great happiness. I hope that you and your family will be healthy, will eat well, and will have shelter from the cold and heat. It is our fate to know sorrow and loss, so I will not wish for you to not know these things. Rather, I wish for you to know the strength and perseverance that you will need to weather whatever storms may come... And to know that you will be ok, loved, and a stronger person when those storms have passed. I wish that some day before you die, that you will, if only for a moment, rediscover a little of the magic through which you looked at the world when you were a child.
I wish these things for my family and friends. I wish them for my acquaintances. I even wish them for my enemies. I wish these things for the countless millions of the world who will never know me, even those who would hate me and would see harm come to me. Because, if I cannot, for one single day, wish all people, All people, to know some kind of joy, then how can I ever expect the world to become a better place?
So, I wish you all the joy this world has to offer. For myself, I wish the same (hey, I'm not without selfish desires).
With love,
Mattie.