Today is Christmas day. In honor of that, I'll post this...

In town this past Saturday morn for the farmers' market to get our fruit and veggies, I stopped in after shopping to a local bistro for a cup of coffee. I ran into a young Canadian lady who works as a botanist here on the island.

'Are you going home for Christmas?' I ask her.

'No', she replies. 'Christmas is a ho-hum thing for me. Just another day.'

'Not quite Bah Humbug, I hope,' I say with a smile. 'You could have a sleepless Christmas eve.'

'Yeah, maybe it is bah humbug,' she says, 'even here, it is just another Hallmark commercial event. Shop til you drop.'

'You are awfully cynical for someone so young,' I say, 'no spirit of Christmas at all?'

'It seems to me that too many folks are more concerned about having a toyous Christmas rather than a joyous Christmas. It seems to me that too many folks attempt to have a joyous Christmas by satiating their bodies with food and drink rather than satiating their spirits with love and peace. It seems to me that too many proclaim their Christianity in words and defame it in their actions. It seems to me that the spirit of the season has become a pale ghost. Celebrate Christmas? Where are all the Christians? Christians preach peace, not war. Christians propagate love, not fear. I don't see any real Christians around, do you?' she spurts.

'You and Mark Twain,' I say.

'Huh?' she asks.

'He wrote, "There has been only one Christian. They caught him and crucified him--early." in one of his cynical moods,' I tell her.

'Truer words have never been spoken,' she tells me.

'So, you are not a Christian then?' I ask.

'Nope. If I was to be anything religious, I'd be a pantheist,' she says.

"A pantheistic botanist or a botanical pantheist?' I ask. She only gives me a hint of a smile in response.

'Don't pantheists love a good party?' I ask, 'It seems to me that they have that reputation. I'm sure any good pantheist would be happy with an excuse to enjoy a feast day, no matter whose name it was called in.'

'Bah, humbug,' she says.

'Oh, yes, thanks for reminding me, I need to buy a bottle of rum,' I say, 'Thanks for the chat. I must run. I wish you joy, peace and abundance this winter solstice. Watch out for the mistletoe.'

'Phoradendron macrophyllum', she muttered. I blew her a kiss on my way out the door.