The WH Greeting
Posted on 12/24/2021 10:41:31 AM PST by DUMBGRUNT
Its banishment from the public sphere heightened its intensity at home.
Supply-chain problems and looming shortages have some Americans in a panic. But the specter of a more austere holiday season put me in mind of the three Christmases I spent in communist Poland. They were the most meaningful of my life.
to a young American the place was depressing, with poorly stocked shops, lusterless merchandise and unsmiling crowds. By December the sun—which we rarely saw—was setting in midafternoon. The light had the murkiness of an old aquarium. After the meal we headed out to the cathedral for midnight Mass. Stately pine trees flanked the altar. Worshippers filled every available space, their voices lifting occasionally in exquisite song. Poland has a rich tradition of carols; echoes of the beautiful “Lulajże Jezuniu” can be heard in Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1. At the end of the service there was none of the facile bonhomie I was accustomed to from back home in New Jersey; people headed off into the night with serious, contemplative expressions. They were still in thrall to the mystery, and the communist system had made them unused to lavishing good cheer on strangers.
Once again I was thrown by the unexpected. Coming in off the grim, occupied streets, I had found a scene of warmth and kindness. And a blow that should have broken the Poles’ spirit was making it stronger.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
ENJOY
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Full TXT: https://archive.vn/s8g2g#selection-3937.0-3937.71
Thnx
Merry Christmas all...
Wonder if Eid al-Fitr will be canceled by Biden.
Unlikely, Grand Caliph Baraq would be p*ssed.
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