Cameron Turner: Jobs, the Grinch and Stevie’s Christmas “Wish”

Stevie Wonder’s 1976 classic “I Wish” isn’t a Christmas song. But that chart-topping tune, which celebrates the simple joys of childhood, is a comforting reminder of the real meaning of the holiday. “I Wish” opens with Stevie singing:

Looking’ back on when I was a little, nappy-headed boy
When my only worry was for Christmas what would be my toy
Even though we sometimes would not get a thing
We were happy with the joy the day would bring

The joy of Christmas – stemming from the closeness of family and friends and the comfort and inspiration of faith – should be the cornerstone of our yuletide celebrations. For when the unpredictable, ever changing events of life take an unhappy turn, that joy will sustain us.

The experts keep telling us that the economy is getting better. With the addition of 39,800 jobs statewide, unemployment in California has dropped to 8.7% in October (down from 10% a year ago). That’s good news, but a whole lot of folks are still struggling. Many of those new jobs are low-wage, part-time gigs with few benefits. That’s why a lot of moms and dads who go to work every day still cannot provide for their families without government assistance such as food stamps – which Republicans on Capital Hill have targeted for deep spending cuts. Meanwhile, about1.6 million Californians remain out of work. And Republicans lawmakers want to block an extension of federal unemployment benefits, which are set to expire three days after Christmas.

So, despite the declining unemployment numbers far too many people are still facing hard times, with no certain end in sight. Anxiety soars whenever money gets funny, but it can soar to painful heights around Christmas when parents may feel guilty and ashamed at not being able to get presents their kids want. Remembering Stevie Wonder’s song can help.

Even though we sometimes would not get a thing
We were happy with the joy the day would bring

Gift-giving is a wonderful and fun Christmas tradition, but it was never supposed to be the focal point of the holiday. Christmas originated, after all, to remember the birth (in very humble circumstances) of a prophet whom believers revere as the son of God. His gift to the world, the gift he would have us give to one another, is love. So, when we celebrate Christmas in spirit and in truth, our holiday joy will not depend on stuff that we buy.

That’s what the Grinch discovered. Dr. Seuss’ lime furred misanthrope sought to destroy Christmas by burglarizing all of the presents, decorations and special holiday foods (including the roast beast!) out of Whoville. And yet, when the sun rose on Christmas morning, all of the Whos down in Whoville, the tall and the small, joined hands and lifted their voices in a song of joy and gratitude. Their song happily defies the Grinch’s malevolent plans and lovingly expresses the true meaning of the day with the simple statement, “Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp.”

Holding hands, drawing one another close, sharing laughter and tears, encouraging, comforting and consoling one another, affirming our love for one another. . . Acts such as these make Christmas meaningful. They will sustain us through sorrow and make us smile anew long after the memories of wrapping paper and presents have faded.

As the great script writer Earl Hamner, Jr. states in the epilogue to his heartwarming Depression-era Christmas movie, The Homecoming (inspiration for the long-running network series The Waltons), “Christmas is a season when we give tokens of love. In that house we gave not tokens but love itself.”

Merry Christmas and thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.