One to Remember

This might be the last Christmas those of us in the United States celebrate as a free country.

I'm guessing a lot of you think that's hyperbole. I really wish I thought so, as well. But the fact of the matter is the voters of this country were just presented with the easiest citizenship test in the nation's history and somehow failed so hard we're on the cusp of literal authoritarianism.

None of this is set in stone. The people taking power are notoriously bad at everything, so there's a chance they'll screw this up, as well. Alternatively, it's possible the courts, other branches of government, or institutions will surprise us and prevent the further deterioration of the checks and balances that barely held last time. These are awful times, but they're not hopeless. But they're bad enough I absolutely stand by that first sentence. This could be the last Christmas this country has as a free, democratic nation. If you don't think that's true, then - frankly - you haven't been paying attention.

I'm not kicking off the season like this to encourage despair (again, I really do think there's hope). And I'm certainly not typing any of this with the intention of making you feel bad (unless you voted for this, in which case you absolutely deserve to feel bad). Despite appearances, I don't view this as a moment for depression.

Instead, I'm looking at this season as a challenge. As a gift. As a celebration.

Again, this might be the last Christmas we spend as a free country. It might be the end of an era. So let's celebrate it as such. Let's make it worth remembering in the years ahead. Let's celebrate everything this holiday can be and everything this era meant. Let's give ourselves and more importantly our kids one last Christmas in this era, something to look back on in the days ahead.

Perhaps something worth working to reclaim.

So my challenge to you is to feel joy. Focus on celebrating this season, rather than fixating on the next. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that what we were - a country striving for equality - was worth celebrating.

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