{"id":8731,"date":"2007-12-24T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-25T01:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/12\/24\/ebenezer-had-a-point\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:34","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:34","slug":"ebenezer-had-a-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2007\/12\/24\/ebenezer-had-a-point\/","title":{"rendered":"ebenezer had a point"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" Tonight I might just be putting the Curmudge into Christmas, and the grin into grinch<\/a>osan<\/em>. If it’s going to happen in 2007, I’ve got only a few hours to finally get into the Christmas Spirit. Not even making elfin frolics<\/a>, nor creating all those<\/a> holiday haiku and give-away new-year calendars has done it yet.\u00a0 Rather than struggle, I shall allow myself to wallow a bit more, and nurture the pre-visitation Scrooge inside every (thinking) person — you know, maybe only watch the first half of a couple Christmas Carol<\/em> movies.<\/p>\n

\n

\"ScroogeStewart\"<\/span><\/p>\n

A Christmas Carol<\/span><\/em><\/a> (1999) (Patrick Stewart)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Christmas lights
\nmy eye is drawn
\nto the house with none<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. by Hilary Tann<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Christmas eve- <\/span>
\nthe row of cut trees
\nno one took home<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026.\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. by Pamela Miller Ness<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span>Scrooge<\/span><\/em><\/a> (1970) (Albert Finney) <\/span><\/span>\"ScroogeFinney\"<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ready to assemble
\nanother toy
\nhits the wall<\/p>\n

——————– grinchosan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\" <\/span>To get in the Scrooge mood, see Verlyn Klinkenborg’s musing in her The City Life column, called “ ‘Tis the Season<\/a>” (New York Times<\/em>, Dec. 24, 2007). VK reminds us that “the old Scrooge is as much a part of [Christmas] as the new one.” And, then ponder along with Sarah Kershaw, in “Enough of the Hills and Woods, Can I Send Grandma an E-Card?<\/a>” (New York Times<\/em>, Dec. 24, 2007)<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

first doubts
\nsanta sounds
\nlike Uncle Al<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

………………………. photo by Mama G. (larger haiga here<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

no one here
\nto chop “gardunes<\/a>” –
\nChristmas soup by Progresso<\/p>\n

. . . dagosan<\/p>\n

– check out Lio<\/em>‘s self-help action vs. Santa<\/a>. \"\"<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

victorian christmas
\na trail of horse shit
\ndown the main street<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. matt morden<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> –<\/span> from Morden Haiku<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

<\/span>A Christmas Carol<\/span><\/em><\/a> (1984) (George C. Scott) <\/span><\/span>\"ScroogeScott\"<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

silent night, holy night
\nthree
\nat the bar<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. by David G. Lanoue<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span> from the novel Haiku Guy<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

christmas evening
\nthe goose she raised
\nall summer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

christmas eve\u2026 <\/span>\"\"<\/span>
\n we yank two ton
\nfrom the # 4 mine<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

christmas\u2026
\nthere ain\u2019t enough coal
\nto put in the stockings<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. by ed markowski<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Scrooged<\/a> (1998) (Dan Murray) <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\"ScroogedMurray\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Christmas pageant\u2014
\nthe one who had to get married
\nplays virgin Mary<\/p>\n

\n

another Christmas . . .
\nmy parents visit
\nthe son in prison<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. by Lee Gurga<\/span><\/strong><\/a> from <\/span><\/span>Fresh Scent<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/a> (1998)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"NoSantaGS\"<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> One thing for sure, if I don’t get my butt off this desk chair and get my brain offline, I’ll be mighty grumpy when Santa gets here tonight. Hope you’ve got lots of Christmas spirit and have a joyous Eve and Christmas Day, however and why-ever you celebrate it.<\/p>\n

Of course, I also hope you’ll be just as questioning and thoughtful as Linus<\/a> was in 1968, when you’re asked whether you had “a good Christmas<\/em>?”<\/p>\n