John Robson: Christmas, a Vision of Better Things to Come Despite Everything

Published on December 21, 2023

Commentary As we approach the turning of another year, amid dismal weather and worse news, I bring you greetings from the White House Lawn. Not that I’m actually there, but my own lawn at the moment features a few scraggly snow patches, a tasteless polar bear struggling to inflate, and a feeder shunned by reputable birds. Also, I’ve been listening to various Christmas-themed old-time radio programs including, most recently, FDR lighting the national Christmas tree on Dec. 24, 1941, and bringing a message of hope to a world at war in the company of one Winston S. Churchill. How, Roosevelt asked, could people possibly take a day off to celebrate under the circumstances? And it was a reasonable question, not just in 1941 but at almost any point in human history. Saying “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men” is all fine and good, indeed obligatory. But if a sarcastic “Don’t hold your breath” comes from the cheap seats it’s hard not to laugh … and cry....

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