Of all times of the year to die, why do people have to die at Christmas time? The fact that people die at what’s commonly believed to be the most joyous time of year is proof positive there is no God.
Dead Tree
Christmas is set aside as a time for most people in our country to at least pretend or attempt to be a little happier then other times of the year. Life is hard. Especially with the poor economy and chronic unemployment it’s easy to feel depressed, downtrodden. We go full speed all year, sweating and toiling; trying to stay alive. Life is gray and difficult. Then Christmas comes. A happy time. A time of parties and good food and gift giving. Then someone has to go and die and ruin all the good tidings.
I lost two good friends at Christmas. Steve Stover was a kid I grew up with in Ohio. We met when I was about 12 years old. We were in the same classes and graduated high school together. Afterward, he went off to the Navy but we kept in close touch. We did a cross-country trip together in 1981. He died of complications from pancreatic cancer the day after Christmas in 1997. He had just turned 41.
Just last year my friend Danny Smith died the day before Christmas Eve. Between 1975 and 1982 we were as close as two friends could be. He had Hepatitis C. Four or five days before he died I went to visit him for the last time. He was delirious as the disease and pain medications racked his brain. When I hopped in bed beside him and told him I loved him I think he heard me and understood. He said he loved me too.
Now just 8 days before Christmas Eve I learn that the incredibly gifted writer Christopher Hitchens has died. I tried to read everything he wrote. He described complicated ideas in such a simple and understandable way. I wish I could write that way. I didn’t admire all of his ideas but I really admired his writing ability. I certainly loved to watch him take apart some feeble-minded, right-wing believer in a debate. I could only hope to be half as smart as Hitchens.
“I do, still, try to nurture that little flame of curiosity and defiance: willing to play out the string to the end and wishing to be spared nothing that properly belongs to a life span,” he wrote.
It’s certainly sad when anyone dies, anytime of the year. There’s something extra sad about having someone you love die during the holiday season. Dying at Christmas makes it seem as though reality is mocking our childish beliefs about joy and peace and goodwill towards men. Of course it’s not true but it sure seems that way to me.
UPDATE: A very good friend of mine, Mitch Fugitt, passed away on Wednesday December 21. He was like a brother to me and he will be missed. I hope he’s at peace now.
Photo credit: Shutter Operator
My aunt died today. Years ago when my mother-in-law died on Christmas Day my father-in-law received a poem that ended with the words “For those who die on Christmas Day go straight to Paradise.” Do you happen to know the title of that poem? Thank you and I hope your Christmas Day is good.
Linda: I’m very sorry about the passing of your aunt. It’s sad when a loved one passes, whether it’s Christmas any time of year. I don’t know the title to that poem you refer to. I did a quick search and couldn’t come up with anything. Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope all your Christmases are happy and healthy.
and now Mitch… Damn!… the day after I wrote Happy Birthday on his Facebook wall, he died, it was the Wednesday before Christmas. I’m sure that has to suck bad for Chance in years to come. I called to talk to Mitch recently, after I heard he was sick. We talked about ‘the goodle days’, laughed a lot, and agreed that we had lived our asses off, in spite of everything that sucked about life before or since. His last words to me we’re, “I love you man.” He had never said that to me before, I’m really glad I decided to make that call, and glad I told him I loved him too.