Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Holiday is a peculiar holiday.

I am at a loss on how to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday isn’t a traditional holiday that’s been celebrated the world over like Christmas.  It isn’t a Hallmark holiday like Sweetest Day encouraging people to give flowers & chocolates twice a year not just once on Valentines Day.   It's far more significant than these PR holidays that are popping up like National Bagel Day (Jan 15) that encourage consumers to consume a certain product.   And unlike other US holidays that could be classified as banking holiday it’s seems weirdly off pudding to celebrate the day with a 30% off mattress sale when three of Dr. King four children referenced in the “I have a dream” speech are still alive.  

Some say the best way to honor the legacy of Dr. King is devote the day to community service and help those who are less fortunate than you.  And that sounds like a great idea.  However, I’m sure Dr. King would be the 1^st to say community service and helping those in need should be a 365 day a year thing not just one day event.      

So, I was at a loss as to how to celebrate/honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. until I came up with an answer in January of 2016.  In December 2015 my cousin gave me the Hamilton soundtrack for Christmas.  I was curious since earlier in 2015 I also saw an interview Lin Manuel Miranda gave to CBS Sunday morning talking about how minority actors are bringing to life the WASPish heroes of the Revolutionary war.  I listened to the Hamilton soundtrack around Dr. King’s birthday that followed that Christmas, and I realized this was the perfect thing to do to celebrate what is the embodiment of Dr. King’s dream of judging someone by the content of their character  (well, performance as a character) rather than the color of their skin.  

Of course, this idea of listening or watching now Hamilton on Disney+ has a few harsh detractors and unfortunately for me I love these detractors very much.  A former local community actor I know snidely remarked “Hey they would never cast me (a white heterosexual cisgender male) to play Dr. King.”  My husband cringingly concurs stating that African American Christopher Jackson looks nothing like Washington at all and actors have to look the part to be accepted.   Now I love Christopher Jackson’s performance as George Washington and believe he embodies the spirit of George Washington if not the look.  Heck if I wasn’t a failed writer/had better connections in the TV industry I would be working on a kids’ TV show starring Mr. Jackson as George Washington explaining the US Constitution and perhaps other key decisions/historical events that shaped America today for PBS.   I accept all of the minority casting in all of the WASP roles of Hamilton because I know the important truths of live theater.

Truth #1- if you watch a play you suspend your normal system of belief for a few hours. Cats, the house pet cannot sing & dance like they do in "Cats" the musical.  Yet "Cats" the musical still remains one of the all time greatest blockbusters plays in Broadway history even though cat owners knows when get home little Fluffy will not break into a chorus of "Memory" before demanding to be fed.  

Truth #2- Actors are clearly pretending to be someone else not themselves.  Thebian Royalty didn’t play Oedipus at Athens’ Dionysus theater in 429 BC.  Shakespeare had no qualms of English actors portraying Italian merchants or Danish princes or even female heroines for that matter.  Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson et al has been dead for over 200 years and even if Lin Manuel Miranda were to hold a séance brining them back to life there’s no guarantee our founding fathers can dance, rap & sing as well as the cast of Hamilton.    So even if the play is featuring real life people, places, and events it’s STILL not the real place, people, or event. 

Truth #3- Hamilton is a hip hop musical.  And unlike rock & roll where 1950’s bigotry gave the fortune & fame of Chuck Berry to Elvis Presley; hip hop has retained its urban minority flair.   So, since the music is hip hop & rap it may come across as too strange to watch a white actor sing/rap the same songs Christopher Jackson sings in Hamilton as George Washington.  Then again maybe I’ve just uncovered some previously unconscious racism I have to overcome in myself by assuming a white actor couldn’t rap/sing soulfully the way Christopher Jackson sings.

Because the one thing I know everyone should be pondering today is the fact that over 400 years ago Africans were brutally kidnapped from Africa to be slaves with hundreds dying on the way and that was wrong.  It was equally wrong for so many in the southern United States to scapegoat the newly freed African slaves who were born & raised in the south just like they were for the righteous loss of their Confederate America in the Civil War with racist laws.   It was wrong for the KKK to disgustingly lynch hundreds of ordinary African Americans for even the most trivial crimes such as whistling at a white woman the way Emmet Till was.    Dr. King and other veterans of the Civil Rights movement had to do something to stop the asinine separate and unequal laws on the books to at least give the chance for someone like Barack Obama to become US  president,  Clarence Thomas to service as a justice on the US  supreme court,  Oprah Winfrey to become a media mogul, Kenneth Chenault to become CEO of American Express, Spike Lee to direct 35+  successful films & win an Oscar, Venus Williams to win several grand slam championships in tennis, 301 black students to be admitted to Harvard in 2022 and the Nobel prize for literature to Toni Morrison.    And yet, on this day the memories of George Floyd & Breonna Taylor still in the front of the public’s mind, the fact that African Americans still make up to 30% of the prison population even though they are 12% of the population overall.  Diseases such as Covid 19 are still disproportionately the African American community because of the fact that 19.5% of all African Americans are living behind the poverty line means no, we shouldn’t have a white actor portraying Dr. King ever. 

And yes, we all should be serving those in need on this day and doing what we can in our own small ways to continue to make Dr. King’s dream of a truly equal society come true.   Which means for me not wasting 2 hours of my time watching Hamilton on TV but bringing about that beautiful American dream which was wide enough to make room for a leadership hero like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream of equality for everyone in America.

When should one undecorate one's home after Christmas

 

I recently saw a friend’s Facebook post asking when one should undecorate the home after Christmas.  Well, I’ve been thinking and here are my random and I hope amusing thoughts on when one should take down their Christmas decorations.

Take down your Christmas decorations on Dec 26^th IF-

Like the Holiday Lite FM you’ve been listening to Jingle Bells since Nov 1^st and your expensive fresh cut Christmas tree has gone from being the envy of a Macy’s department store window to a prop in a live production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.   The stores started putting up their Cupid statues and Valentine hearts on December 24^th so why shouldn’t you?

Take down your Christmas decorations on January 1^st or 2^nd IF-

All of the wonderful/painful family/friends get togethers for the holidays you have planned are now done.  After all, when the vast majority of people wish each other “Happy Holidays” during the season of Season’s Greetings they all agree the New Year marks the official end of the Holiday season.  Why?  New Year’s Day is the one thing everyone does celebrate when not warring over whether or not they should or should not wish someone a Merry Christmas.

Take your Christmas decorations on or after Official Epiphany (Between Jan 2^nd- Jan 8^th) IF-

You accept Official Epiphany. Let me take a moment to explain what “Official Epiphany” is.   The US conference of Catholic Bishops has taken a page out of the US government and has decided to move such critical events in the life of Jesus Christ (such as when the wise men visited him on the 12^th day after Christmas aka Jan 6^th) to the nearest Sunday after the 1^st of the year.  Why? Because it was hard enough for Bob Cratchit to ask Ebeneezer Scrooge for Christmas and New Year off let alone Epiphany, Ascension Thursday, Feast of the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception & subsequent Assumption at the end of her life, and of course that which spawned a multi-billion dollar industry of spooky props, costumes, mini candy bars, and a movie franchise-All Saints’ day.  Why isn’t Epiphany on Jan 1^st?  Well January 1^st is already a significant holy day honoring Mary Mother of God which is better than holding a celebration honoring the day Jesus was circumcised.

Take your Christmas decorations down on or after January 7^th IF-

On the 13th day of Christmas my true love gave to me-a used set of luggage and a bus ticket to Cairo E Y G.   Why?  Because on the 13^th day of Christmas Mary & Joseph were already packing up Jesus’ swaddling clothes & getting the heck out of Bethlehem thanks to the death threat from king Herod the supposed great.  So, if Mary, Joseph & Jesus are leaving the manger behind why shouldn’t you?

Take your Christmas decorations down on or after The Baptism of the Lord (usually 2^nd Sunday in January unless superseded by Epiphany). IF

You believe in the concept of Ordinary Time.   Jesus has gone from that tiny manger lying infant to a fully grown adult rebelling against the religious authorities.  Besides, theoretically every US Roman Catholic church should have done on the previous Epiphany is let everyone know when/urge Catholics to prepare for Easter.   This traditional Easter announcement was made because back in the day no one wanted to boggle their brains trying to figure out when the 1^st Sunday after the 1^st full moon of the vernal equinox was because that’s how St. Peter remembered it.     Nowadays most Roman Catholic priests know their parishioners can just Google when Easter 20__ will be & tell their congregants to plan their lives to enjoy as much junk food & merriment before the start of Lent.  

 Take your Christmas decorations down around Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Weekend IF-

You are lazy but not super lazy.    You’re probably exhausted after all of the holiday frivolities and need a break to get over your Christmas break.   So, you have a nice 3 day weekend to take down all of your Christmas stuff.  Besides, in honor of Dr. King you should take and donate the unwanted Christmas gifts of socks, underwear, tacky ugly Christmas sweaters and ties, tempting but not part of your new year’s diet Christmas sweets, and all unused cans of Who Hash to charity or volunteer to help some elderly person take down their decorations.   😊

 Take your Christmas decorations down around Feb 2^nd IF-

You are very lazy, and you wish to fall back on the ancient end of the Christmas season-Candlemas.  You can justify waiting until February 2^nd because once upon a time the Christmas season lasted for 40 days. The end of those 40 days was celebrated with the day baby Jesus was presented to the Jewish temple because of some ancient Jewish law whose theological significance is beyond my 16 year experience with Catholic education.  Besides, the Catholic Church likes the number 40 and they probably wanted to counterbalance the 40 days of fast & abstinence of Lent with 40 days of gluttony and indulgence prior to Lent. 

 Take your Christmas Decorations down the Saturday before Superbowl Sunday IF-

You are hosting some type of Superbowl party.   Most people attending the Superbowl party might be OK with a tree with lights and ornaments on it as long as those lights/colors are the colors/logos of the teams who were fortunate to survive all the way to the big game.  However, big red stockings on a fireplace mantle with holly along the shelves will inevitably clash with paper footballs and Budweiser football stadiums.

 Take your Christmas Decorations down on Ash Wednesday for sure IF-

You are really really lazy and want to get more use of the Christmas decorations.  The purple, gold, & green of Christmas can work with Mardi Gras as well.  Not to mention the whole baby Jesus cake concept.    But now that the official season of Lent has begun you must be preparing to horde those chocolate Easter bunnies and jellybeans while awaiting for the Lenten fast to end while you look at austere decor until either St. Patrick’s day or Easter.

Take your Christmas decorations down on March 25^th IF?

Your house can be seen from the International Space Station during the Christmas season. Ironically, Christmas is now 9 months away thanks to the Virgin Mary’s yes.    However, you are still waiting for that warm spring weather to make sure you don’t fall off the roof while trying to remove the fake reindeer.   Hopefully mother nature will not throw you a curve ball with a last-minute early spring blizzard.

Take your Christmas decorations down NEVER IF?

You are either very obsessed with Christmas or extremely lazy.   There are some places around the country that are famous for being Christmas 365 days a year not just once.  Why should your place be any different?   Not to mention retailers are eager to give us black Friday in spring and Christmas in July so why not keep the Christmas feeling alive all through the year.    Besides does Santa’s Village still exist?

 And those are my random thoughts.   This is the 1^st of what I hope are many blog posts in the future and I hope I made you smile about this 😊