We say some phrases almost without engaging our minds in the act, as if the words are a slightly elevated form of sign language. It’s shorthand.
So, when we say “Merry Christmas’ today, it likely will be the 1,000th time in the last month someone has said that to you. It’s a password that shows we share the cultural and religious underpinnings of the event, but just as fundamentally, we’re saying that we hope you are well. Truly well and happy.
For some of us, hearing the words “Merry Christmas” from a loved one – a child you have not seen for years, for example – will mean more than just the words.
The Iraq War – at least our nation’s part in the miserable 10-year excursion – is over.
That means the million Americas who fought in that war can come home this Christmas to the warmth and peace they deserve. The world political maelstrom being what it is, the rest may be momentary. There is always the Afghanistan War which is in its 10th year with no sign of ending. And after that war, who can tell? We seem to run out of reasons for peace much more easily than reasons for war.
But for the moment, this is a morning that thousands of your young neighbors can awake to a good cup of coffee and hugs from children and spouses.
They won’t have to worry about “improvised explosive devices” ending their lives this morning. No need for body armor to fend off stray sniper bullets.
When they step outside their homes this morning to check the sky for signs of snow, they will encounter the same life as the rest of us do every day, the same perils, and the same aggravations.
They have returned to life as ordinary Americans, although their achievements in Iraq are not ordinary. Whether the price was worth it ultimately, they gave an entire nation a chance at freedom. They could not have done more.
So if no one else says it, we wish all you young soldiers a very “Merry Christmas” this morning.
And many more.
