My Christmas Letter

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“Familiar in his mouth as household words.” - Shakespeare

24 December 2024 

Dear P_ and M_: 

Many are beholden to various aspects of the
“A-train to Zarathustra” (i.e., A to Z).
‭‬They pined for spring and particularly summer. 
Summers are the peaks of activities. 
A circling glorious summer is always anticipated
and yearned in the “winter of our discontent”,
whether or not the son of York has anything to do with it. 
Regardless, even the psychopathic duke, Richard III, 
believes it.

Three days ago on 21 December 2024, it was winter solstice.
It marked the first day of winter and the shortest day in 
the northern hemisphere. From then on, the days or daylights
will gradually get longer.  Still, it is winter.  
The vicissitudes of winter weather in our valley apropos 
of these Shakespearean words, “the rain and wind beat 
dark December.”  Surely, it is cold and wet here in the 
valley but nothing like my pharmacologist friends who 
reside and teach in Pullman, WA.  Their winter trough 
could be epitomized by the song at the end
of ‭Love’s Labor’s Lost. Brrr…! ‬

The winter solstice last Saturday accentuates Christmas Day.
Because of the birth of Christ, the “Sun of Righteousness.”
Thus the Lord has expressly promised the redeemed 
that “night will be no more”, and He shall be their light
for ever and ever. Until He returns again, in the meanwhile
His general mercies provides for ‭all‬ of His creation.
So it is “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, 
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Excepting 
for Christendom, however, most of the world will ignore 
His mercy of “daily bread”, and seek ‭possession‬ of wealth‭ ‬
and‭ ‬security instead. Further, in its self-righteousness,
the Christmas season is circumscribed foremost 
by pleasantry. So the greetings of “Merry Christmas” 
are familiar household words for laughter of gifts, 
Santa Claus, and ideates of the season. After all, it‬ is ‭
sine qua non. To the unbelieving, life ‬is “…a walking 
shadow…struts and frets…And then is heard no more.”   

Lest we forget, God dwells “in the high and holy place, and also 
with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.” 
His birth is “to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive 
the heart of the contrite.” He is life eternal. 

By any means, I am not a haiku poet.  Nevertheless, here is 
my Christmas haiku for you: 

This winter solstice 
Accenting John Three Sixteen 
His unstinting love 

May the Lord make His face to shine upon you 
and be gracious to you.  Merry Christmas! 

L’

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