" Enough with holiday newsletters ! "

The projo.com bulletin board notification of new message. See:
http://www.projo.com/twocents/get/news/1056.html

I am a fan of Ann Landers. Her advice has often kept this middle aged bachelor out of trouble. But this morning (Dec.15) her column was a little too harsh on those "insufferable " holiday newsletters. Many people it seems are furious with successful, happy -and God forbid!-affluent people. Especially if they are relatives or friends!

They " proceed to send this drivel to everyone whose last name they can spell " : " Jim was named vice-president of the bank,so we celebrated by buying a Mercedes. "

French writer Albert Camus wrote about that certain "look of success " which would "infuriate a jackass ".

It seems too me that it is quite NORMAL to be interested in the charming details of lives of people we know at least superficially. PEOPLE are
infinitely fascinating to other people. That is why TV soap operas are so popular, indeed why Ann Landers is so popular.

Is it not the jealous " jackass " in us that is infuriated with the good luck -deserved or undeserved - of other people ?

Their good luck is just a brief moment in time. One Christmas season will arrive when that gossipy newsletter will be quite melancholy : Life happened ! Yes, Jim served as chairman of the United Fund drive. And now we could use some help ourselves -alas ! The cute kid who played the lead in the Little Theater was killed by drunk driver !

Recall the Thornton Wilder play " Our Town ". The happy present isn't always
what it seems to be . Just ask Emily who just wanted to relive her 12th birthday.

Forget Thornton Wilder. Horror writer Stephen King can imagine
other possibilities in life - since his accident !

Let us empathize with happiness as well as misery - remembering that the latter has more staying power.

Just put that interminable newsletter aside for a long rainy day. And merry Christmas -even to Uncle Scrooge !