With all of the politics we all worry about, talk about, and fight for, what Christmas (and your respective holiday if you celebrate another) really means is what we're fight for.
What does Christmas mean to me? My Dad died a month ago tomorrow, and it has put me in a thoughtful frame of mind. Politics and its impact on our daily lives is vitally important, but Christmas is a reminder of why its all so important.
If you beleive this, add your own thoughts about your loved ones and recommend so we can all spend Christmas thinking about what really matters.
My Dad was politcally a Republican, but was pretty progressive for a Republican. Having a gay son, he came to the progressive side of things over the years. He saw the struggles we'd all had with some of the government's decisions about our lives. He's proof that Republicans aren't the problem - it's the republican zealots and leaders.
He called my partner his "son-in-law" to even his most right wing friends and family. He even understood and fought for gay marriage in his small way.
He was a retired painter, and he always did whatever he could to help his neighbors, friends and family. He thrived on even doing gardening work for his friends who couldn't do it themselves. He was gentle and kind to everyone who knew him, and the funeral was about twice the number of people we expected. It was a packed church.
He and I got very close in the last 10 years or so. His health got worse, and he needed help doing a lot of things. So, this gave us a lot of time to talk, "hang out", and get to know each other. We talked about everything from politics to religion and everything in between.
We also found we had something fun in common - gambling. He enjoyed going to casinos occasionally, so we made a few trips a year to Reno. And this year, we made a trip to Vegas. He had never been to Vegas, and he was like a kid in a candy store. That trip was just the two of us, and I will never forget it.
Dad, you were the best father ever - thanks so much. I'll never forget you.