Days of Yore: St. Patrick's Day

In which my "Days of Yore" series meets my previous series on simple acts of kindness shown to me in the past. Most entries in my current series concern changing trends over the years. This one is more along the lines of my previous series, but does take place when I was a child, so it fits in both categories. Also, leprechauns are known for their mischief and shaking things up. Besides that, I'm part Irish, and proud of it. So there's that.

Image by Artificial Dream on Adobe Stock

Anyway...

St. Patrick's Day was serious business at our school in the Philippines. Friends and classmates had no trouble pinching anyone who was not wearing green. So it was with some shock and consternation one March 17 on the bus to school that I suddenly realized I had forgotten what day it was, and—horror of horrors—I was not wearing green! (Cue the Psycho theme) We're talking major emergency here. As I was on the bus, I couldn't go home and change! What is a kid who needs some green, stat, to do to avoid the dreaded pinch?

That's what friends are for. Sara was a year or two ahead of me in school. Her younger brother Luke was around my age. Their dad was a teacher at our school, as was mine. They were even British, which gives a person a lot more authority in the matter of an Irish holiday. Sara had a running theory that as long as a person wearing green is touching someone who isn't, the person who isn't can't be pinched. (This theory worked better for kids in the '80s than it would for adults today.) Obviously, she couldn't follow me around all day for so many reasons, but she had a better idea. As soon as we arrived at school, she and I raced down the stairs to the playground and hurried to a tree, where, with a great sense of relief, I obtained some leaves. I don't remember how I wore them, but the day was saved by the quick thinking of a thoughtful friend who was herself wearing green.

Come to think of it, maybe it would be a good practice to carry green lapel pins or something with me in case people I meet on St. Patrick's Day are enduring a similar crisis. Hmmm...

Christmas in the Northwest

Christmas in the Northwest is not as well-known of a song as most other Christmas carols, but it's one of my favorites. The following was the best YouTube video I could find of it. I find it somewhat ironic that the song is about how it doesn't necessarily snow, and yet the video is full of snow shots. It was done by someone in Gig Harbor, WA:

The lyrics are here.

According to the official Christmas in the Northwest website, the song was written in 1985 by Brenda White, who also recorded it, as a submission to a project for Seattle's Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. They proceeded to name the entire project "Christmas in the Northwest", and they have produced CDs every year since then, the proceeds of which benefit Children's Hospital. I think that's a very worthy cause. The CDs feature local Northwest musical artists, and all of them include Brenda White's heartwarming song.

As America gets farther and farther from its Christian roots, I find this song to be a breath of fresh air, as it celebrates Northwest culture, weather, and the true meaning of Christmas. Unlike many Christmas songs that celebrate snow falling, this one points out that the Northwest is not known for its snow, and because of all the rain that we get, "Christmas in the Northwest is a gift God wrapped in green." I also enjoy how, with the Northwest's fascination with small towns, it points out that Christmas began in a small town. It never mentions Jesus or Bethlehem by name, but it does tell that "in a small town, a child came down, the Father's gift of love and life."

I think it brilliantly captures the true spirit of Christmas. It's about celebrating the birth of the Savior, spending time with family, enjoying the weather (even if it's raining and not snowing). The recurring theme of loving and teaching children is a particularly cool part. This is undoubtedly because it was written to benefit Children's Hospital, but it isn't expressed in an advertisy (like the word I just made up?) or preachy manner.

Children have a way of dreaming that adults seem to forget. I think we have a lot to learn from the dreams of children, and I think we should never stop dreaming. We also need to learn to be content with what we have. If it's raining, we don't have to be grumpy because it isn't snowing. If it's snowing, we don't need to be grumpy because the roads are slick. We need to be willing to help and give and love...and dream!

Whether it rains or snows, it's Christmas. Whether or not anyone gets presents, we all have love to give. Christmas is about giving, not receiving. And the ultimate example of the Christmas spirit is the Child who came to earth about 2000 years ago to give us love and life. That is a greater gift than anyone could ever dream of giving.

Following is a short documentary on the song and the Children's Hospital project with the same name.