Christmas

So I have a beef with all those santa claus movies, mostly because I think I actually take them seriously. I dont know how many Christmas stories have told me to keep the Christmas spirit alive in my heart for the whole year. Well, christmas movie, here I am, in August, and I'm feelin' it: that's right, the Christmas spirit! But you never told me what to do with it! Today as I sat under my beloved roof under an overcast sky and sipped my coffee from my favorite mug, surrounded by good friends just starting to stir at the dawn of the day, I felt the slow seeping in of Christmas warmth, Christmas cheer, Christmas rest, Christmas security: in a word, Christmas SPIRIT. I wanted to turn off the lights and light up the red and green bulbs, put on James Taylor's crooning voice and walk in my mind with the wise-men. But no, I didn't. Because it's not Christmas time! Either the movies are wrong or I am. Either the christmas spirit is supposed to be for any time of year, or it isnt. please tell me, Santa claus, wherever you are, the answer! Oh, sorry, I forgot. You only exist in my heart. I think that the problem with those movies is epistemological. If the Christmas spirit may only be found in my spirit, I reject it. If Santa Claus only lives in my heart, I reject him. But I have the sneaking suspicion that if the real saint Nicholas came along, it would be coal for us all.