Christmas Mix 2022

 Christmas Mix
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[Verse 5]

At the still point of destruction

At the center of the fury

All the angels, all the devils

All around us, can't you see?

[Chorus]

There is a deeper wave than this

Rising in the land

There is a deeper wave than this

Nothing will withstand

[Bridge]

I said, love is the seventh wave

I said, love is the seventh wave

I said, love is the seventh wave

Love is the Seventh Wave, Sting

I've always had an affinity for Sting's positive view of the world in Love is the Seventh Wave, and since Santa is love, I'd thought I'd sync these two big ideas for the 8th annual Christmas Mix Playlist!

Christmas rests at the end of the year for good reason. Coupled with Halloween's fun in October, Thanksgiving's reflections in November, Christmas is a celebration of comfort and joy. It is also a celebration of overcoming adversity. You've toiled all year, time to kick back, eat, drink and spend some more cash on the people you love. 

The three holidays like the three wise men have their own built-in economy. Many small businesses survive in the red and then, the last quarter gets them back in the black to turn the corner and start a new year, just to do it all over again.

Christmas is a time for dreaming. Christmas is also a time for big thinking and coming together.

I was thinking about hate the other day and where it come from? I then thought about Atticus Finch, the lead character from, To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus was a big thinker in a small town. 

Prejudice comes from everywhere and touches everyone. But, we often stereotype prejudice coming from small minds in small towns. Not that everybody from a small town is a bumpkin, but small places often can be a safe nesting place for small/closed-minded thinking. I grew up in a small town. 

My parents were wonderful people who gave me a wonderful childhood and took care of me. I couldn't ask for more. But growing up, I often felt small, not encouraged to dream big, to think big. "Doug, play it safe, don't attract attention to yourself." I was never told those exact words, but I felt them. 

Christmas can be a two-edged sword, a time for hope or a time of loneliness. But more than anything, Christmas allows all of us to think a little more outside of ourselves. It's the time of year for "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." Charities also survive to live another year, thanks to Christmas.

You can believe anything you want religiously, spiritually or materialistically or even, believe that you don't believe. But make no mistake, most all of us all believe in the positivity of Santa. Santa is love. He may have evolved from a Christian holiday, co-opted from a pagan holiday, but I've come to embrace Santa as the saint of big thinking. He has a large job to fulfill every year with lots of helpers. Santa is inclusive, he's secular with no hidden agenda. Santa can be for anyone from any religion, he's just there to make the world a happier place by giving.

This Christmas has me thinking about all the small-thinking politicians and pundits in the media, spreading hate and encouraging and influencing our citizens to think-small. 

Even Santa Larry pictured here gets his share of hate online these days but in his ever positive spirit, says it's a small number, but for those haters out there, "They might be getting coal in their stockings this year." 

So, let's go back to the top, with Santa riding the big wave. I love this picture because if Santa can hop on a sled of reindeer and ride across the sky to every little boy and girl's house on Christmas Eve, he surely can be a big-wave rider too! 

So this next year, be a Santa surfer, be nice and be patient. Any surfer will tell you, when a set of waves roll in, don't go for the first or second wave. Push up on your board (or Boogie Board) to see what's ahead, then paddle hard through or over the smaller waves because there's a bigger ride coming your way. Turn yourself around, get ready, paddle hard and catch that sucker.

Merry Christmas everyone!