A Letter From the Late Thomas Francis Clark 

My First Christmas

That was over eight decades ago. Has Christmas Day changed? My answer to that is “No” because the birthday of Jesus Christ is on December 25.

Has the Christmas Season changed? My answer to that is “Yes.” The big rush is on. Let’s stand in those long lines and get it over early. The retailers are having a ball.

Three things that I have always loved were Christmas, little kids and journalism. Around this time of the year, I always think of the Editor and Veteran Newsman. He wrote for a newspaper in New York called the Sun. His name was Francis Pharcellus Church. In 1897 he received a letter from eight year old Virginia O’Hanlon. She said, “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.” Church answered  that letter. He said, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” His response to that question has become history’s most reprinted newspaper article appearing in dozens of languages, in books, movies and other editorials all over the world.

I was talking to a kid the other day. He said, “My name is Thomas and I’m ten years old.” I asked him do you believe in Santa Claus? He answered, “Yes, but not the Fakes in the Department Stores.”

I can still remember counting the days and waiting for Santa. I knew that he came because he ate the cookies and milk that I left for him.

During my life, I have spent many of my years with younger kids. Most of them are believers, but sometimes older kids or adults try to alter their way of thinking. These people are the non-believers and have no faith in anything. They have to see and want proof. In 1973, The New York Mets pulled off a miracle and won the National League Title. A pitcher on that team was Tug McGraw.

He coined a phrase which has carried over in Sports ever since that year. He said, “You Got to Believe.”

How can you be a winner if you don’t believe? The answer is, “You are a loser before you start.”

Things could be better for many of us out there. This year there is also a good feeling at this time of the year. Yes, my Friends and I’ll tell you why, “Santa Claus is coming to town and you better believe it.”

Merry Christmas!

Thomas Francis Clark

The Late Thomas Francis Clark was a frequent letter writer and one of our greatest supporters. Each year he would send this letter to the editor. In his memory we are republishing this letter. C.M.

Tis the Season for Warm & Fuzzy

This is the time of the year when people like to get “warm and fuzzy.”

We will treat the homeless and less fortunate to a Christmas feast to make ourselves feel good, and then shoo them away for another year.

Some will decorate their houses with outlandish displays that will make the power companies happy.

Others will shop till they drop getting those retail percentages up for this quarter. Those that have the money that is.

Of course there are some that will put up signs and rent bill boards stating that there is no God, no angels, and that those that believe are fools. I guess that is their right under the first amendment. Wait a minute, the first amendment grants the right to “freedom of religion” not the “freedom of non-religion.” Somebody should look into that. And that part about being fools offends me. Looks like a job for the ACLU, yea right!

Let me be clear about one thing. I am not and do not profess to be a religious man in anyway. In fact if I even stepped into a church it would probably fall down. However I do not condemn religion or make fun of religious people. And yes I do believe in God. If that makes me a fool so be it. At least I’m in good company.

There are those that say there is no “War on Christmas” with a sheepish grin. We simply do not want to offend anyone. Well you people offend me by saying there is no war and then continuing to attack it. I know it’s not really a war but merely a police action. Yea, that’s the ticket.

Let’s reflect. Christmas is a Christian Holy Day. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a Holy Day not a holiday. It is, in part, celebrated by the giving gifts symbolizing the Three Kings who came to Baby Jesus bearing gifts. It’s this part of the celebration that the retailers love. Well if you love it so much call it what it is, Christmas not holiday. It is the Christians that are going to make your profits rise, so how about a little respect here.

When I was in school we used to exchange Christmas cards, (boy am I old). There were some Jewish students in my class. So instead of giving them a Christmas card we gave them a card that read Happy Holidays, since their Holy Days were in such close proximity to ours. Not because we were afraid of offending them but because we wanted to include them in our season of “warm and fuzzy” and didn’t want them to feel left out. Somehow this tradition seems to have gotten out of hand.

Christmastime is a time for peace and good will towards men. You hear stories of kindness to the extreme. It brings out the good in people if only once a year.

There is a story of the soldiers on opposite sides during WWI who stopped fighting on Christmas Eve and sang Christmas carols and exchanged rations and their care packages from home with each other. They were trying to kill each other the day before.

How could Christmas, a day with such power for good and kindness, be offensive to anyone?

In conclusion I would like to say two things:

1. For those who are offended by Christmas and those who think they are offending someone by the mentioning of Christmas; STOP CRAPPING ON CHRISTMAS IN THE NAME OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.

2. To everyone including the ones mentioned above: MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Joe Bayona