Christopher Rush
Ten issues. Where did the time go? Three Christmas specials, two music series, and a partridge in a pair of trees later, we are still going strong yet willing to go out on top. There is no tradition like a new tradition, and we were proud and glad to be a new tradition of yours for these three years. Now we will all get to start some new traditions next year without Redeeming Pandora in our lives. I’m not sure what those will be right now, but when the time comes, I’m sure we’ll all think of something.
Did we watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians last year in Humanities? … Maybe. Was I the only one still in my jim-jams Christmas morning last year? … Yes. Did I feel bad about that? … No.
2012 has been another interesting year for us. We got to visit Dubuque again, see the family and some old friends Neil, Dave, Weber, Nate, Jessica, and Jon. That was comforting and enjoyable. My niece was born, my son learned how to walk, my daughter is developing into a selfless young girl, and my wife is even closer to a Master’s degree. Me? Well … I finally played some wargames I’ve been carrying around for years. Oh, and I read Othello for the first time, with the help of the Class of 2013, so that’s something. I also finally read Giant-Size X-Men 1, if that means anything to you. Summit saw the graduation of its largest senior class to date, all 27 of ’em … and I read every single senior thesis more than once. That was about half of my year right there, but I was glad to do it. More importantly, my wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past summer. We went to The Melting Pot. We went to the Outer Banks for our 5th anniversary. At this rate, we’ll probably go to the living room for our 15th anniversary. Let’s hope Domino’s will still have those yummy parmesan bread bites.
Last Christmas for us was probably the last of the great Christmases, at least in terms of all the family being together. We might not have another Christmas like that for a while, but that’s okay … we had it last year. This year promises to be good in its own way, and that’s what you have to do, really — take it one at a time. I don’t want to sound selfish; obviously recent events have turned a lot of families’ Christmases upside down, and we know Christmas is often a rough time for many families for many reasons. We are living in a fallen world, and Satan is regent over this world, even though Christ is risen and reigning. We do hope you will still find some reason to be merry this Christmas. The Light of the world is still shining.
One thing I don’t miss about Christmastime in the Midwest is driving in the snow. Sure, we’ve had a few snow days here, and one or two of them have been legitimate, but snowfall here is nothing compared to Dubuque snowfall. I’m all in favor of global warming, if it meant living in Dubuque without having to drive in the snow. If global warming was a real thing that actually existed, of course. I also don’t miss having to wetvac the basement all April long, which is another story for another time. Of course, if we were in Dubuque, it might be possible we’d actually get to sing Christmas carols at church, so … we’ll see.
Christmas is starting to mean different things as I get older. Obviously having children and no longer being part of the young generation are key factors in this metamorphosis. Sleeping on December 24th is not the challenge it used to be, most likely because my bedtime is later than it was (though not as late as it was in college, for some reason — somehow, 9 o’clock went from “oh, it’s only 9? let’s start a movie” to “it’s already 9?”). Now I’m part of the team getting the house ready for Christmas morning, moving presents and stockings and whatnot, instead of being the one imagining what the tree and couch will look like in the morning. Exhaustion settles in much easier than it used to. Though my lists are not any shorter than they used to be, there’s more difficulty in making them than there used to be. That probably sounds more materialistic than I mean it to be, but it should indicate a waning sense of acquisitiveness as I get older. Coupled with the fact our house is out of space, the desire for things just isn’t there like it used to be.
It’s interesting to look back at the old wish lists, see what moods and fancies I was in back in the day. Not too surprisingly, my fancies go in phases (common among wargamers). Some years I’m hankering for video games; some years, such as this year, I’m leaning more toward board and wargames. We are still a few years away from playing a lot of family board games, but we believe in stocking up when the deals are right. Coming from a family of gamers helps as well. The majority of the list are the typical fare: music, MST3K box sets, graphic novels, the occasional book, a classic TV series perhaps. Maybe a gift card or two. Ideas, really — not things. Experiences, ideas, opportunities for growth and improvement — these are the denizens of my wish lists.
Again, this is not to sound acquisitive. The desire for intellectual and spiritual (and emotional) experiences are what I request for Christmas. If that’s greedy, I suppose I’m greedy, then. I don’t need any new things, of course, and I am the first to admit that. I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t get anything new this year. I have plenty of unread books, unplayed games, unstudied albums, and unwatched series/movies to fill up a few lifetimes. Toward that end, I have become more active in recent years about giving away things, especially books. Part of the challenge of this, though, is deciding what to give to deserving others (especially alumni) and what to keep for my children. Their interest isn’t high currently in books without pictures, but hopefully there’s time. In the meantime, if you want anything, let me know. I’ll see what I can do. If you’d like to get together for some wargaming, we could definitely work on that as well.
Lord willing, my parents will be flying in for Christmas night this year, allowing most of us to gather again for Christmas dinner (though my brother will be missed). One benefit of this is that we’ll be able to do Christmas morning two days in a row. I, for one, plan on staying in my jim-jams for both mornings. I will not feel bad about that. Some traditions are worth holding on to.
It’s time to say “farewell” to our final Christmas issue of Redeeming Pandora. Our first instinct might be to be sad to see such an entertaining and edifying part of our lives disappear, but that would be the wrong path to take. As Theodor Giesel said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Now go keep the old traditions worth keeping. And start a few new ones, while you’re at it.
Oh, let’s have a Patrick Swayze Christmas, one and all.
And this can be the haziest …
This can be the laziest …
This can be the Swayziest Christmas of them all!
Redeeming Pandora 