“A Shop Window Christmas No. 1” © Bonnie Matthews Brock
The Creation of Christmas
One day a Scottish banker name Fred Smith created a holiday called Christmas. His friends in retail loved the idea of having a month where wallets could be emptied. Meanwhile, Fred was in it for the red in people’s bank accounts mirrored in the Santa costume.
A celebration shall be had, too, decided Smith, during which people would exchange gifts. There would be a feast, laughing, drinking, songs, merry times.
Fred bet his business friends that people’s merriment would come from the willful love of being fooled. After a long year of toil and underpay, to be topped off with one unbeatable swindle…truly a wonderful time of year!
~~~
Soon after the Christmas holiday was created, Mr. Chestnut, a factory owner, and Smith were out on the sidewalk in mid-December. They passed an alms-seeker wearing a Santa hat and ringing a bell.
After walking a little way, they overheard a woman in wool hat say to her acquaintance, “It makes me feel so good, getting all the gifts for everyone.” The acquaintance, whose face they could not see replied, “Ah, yes, it is. But it costs so much!” “The more I spend, the more I show love,” the woman said, smiling brightly at her friend.
Smith puffed his cigar and took it out of his mouth. He glanced over to Mr. Chestnut and said, “See. They love spending as if there were holes in their pockets! It just feels so damn good! All those hours toiling and what’s to show – poof!” Smith chortled. Chestnut shook his head, turned his back and began walking away. “I suppose I owe you a half a penny now, aye, Smitty?”
Peter F. Crowley exists or so he believes.
Bonnie Matthews Brock is a Florida-based photographer, as well a school psychologist. She loves hiking the urban and woodland trails of “anywhere” (and pausing often to shoot photos) with her very patient husband (and often collaborator), Ted. Her images have been featured on the covers of magazines such as Ibbetson Street, Wild Roof Journal, Poesy Magazine, Humana Obscura, and Arkansas Review; as well as on the pages of publications such as Oddball Magazine, Ember Chasm Review, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Beaver Magazine, and Lateral. Her works are archived at institutions such as Poets House NYC, Brown University, and Harvard University.