All the thinking about Christmas was making Richard hungry. He just stood there in the middle of the sidewalk rubbing his stomach. He hadn’t even realised he’d stopped walking. Bacon. That’s what he wanted, bacon, and he didn’t care too much what else went with it. Funny how bacon never really makes it into any real holiday fare. Thanksgiving is all about turkey and pumpkin pie and Easter is about chocolate eggs and fish and there’s all this talk about Christmas gammon but bacon, it only seems to be paired with breakfast eggs. That’s ridiculous. Bacon should have it’s own day, as far as Richard was concerned. Probably not good for you, but that’s never been a priority. Perhaps it was time for a change. Life is too short. Richard couldn’t remember at what point he had become so philosophical. All this thinking, and wondering. It was tiring. And for what? He was convinced now, more that he’d ever been, that human beings love to do the strangest things for reason they probably couldn’t recite. He was sure that if he asked someone why they were having a turkey for Christmas they wouldn’t know. They’d say something like ‘That’s just what you do!’ The traditions were now so cemented into everyone’s reality that they do things without thinking and don’t even question it. It was like they had lost the ability to think for themselves and heaven forbid someone comes to rock their little boat of tradition and habit. Richard visited a church a few months back to witness a nephew’s baptism. He asked the parents a few questions about religion and they said the same thing: ‘We’re not quite sure why we’re doing this, it’s just what you do!’ There it was again. People forgot to think about things, they just did it because that’s what you do. What if you didn’t do some of these things; the ones your’e not so sure of? What then? Richards stomach let out a very audible growl. He looked around and no one seemed to hear it. Bacon; hmmm.
Richard sat back in the old red creaking chair as he wiped the grease off his chin with the scratchy paper napkin. He burped silently into his fisted hand and then breathed a huge sigh. Satisfaction. He smiled to himself as he smacked his lips together again, tasting the final bite of the hamburger again. He found himself staring out of the window at a flashing neon Santa Clause on the street light across the road from the diner. He was waving and in the last light of the day he could clearly see the 2 hand positions in the neon tubing. Santa’s wave seemed so fake. Left right, left right, went the red neon arm. It seemed to sum up Richards true feeling about Christmas. He stood up, noisily shoving the chair backwards as he did. He had an idea.
It was the beginning of December and the wind was picking up; typical of this time of year. The leaves started to swirl next to the wall of the public library and quickly sucked in even more dried leaves from the gutter. Richard put his hands deep into his pockets and started to lengthen his strides. He needed to get the shop before it closed.
Dr Lewis was wearing her hair up for the first time in all the months that Richard had been visiting her practice. It made her look younger, but that was about it.
“So you invited a whole lot of people to a ‘Christmas’ dinner? And you asked them to do WHAT?”
“Yip! You probably want to know all the details?” Richard seemed very impressed with himself.
Dr Lewis did that thing with her mouth and eyebrow that saved her the need to use words.
“I am just convinced that people don’t really know why they do some things. We get caught up in what we are told to do; how to act, and what to say. Most people don’t know what Christmas is really all about, or Easter, or confirmation, or first communion or Pentecost for that matter. Religion seems to be something that most people follow blindly without question and I thought I’d challenge some people. They live from week to week, and year to year, without thinking for themselves, and they believe whatever they are told, and I think it’s cheapening their experience of life. I’m convinced of this, more than ever before! I chose religion because it’s a sensitive topic in almost everyone’s experience and this challenge was sure to get people thinking…”
“Or upset them!”
“That was NEVER my intention! I just want people to THINK!”
“I’m not so sure that you were thinking!”
To be continued….