Christmas Eve Headlines

As I sit here on December 24th reading the online version of the Riverside Press Enterprise I noticed a recurring theme in the headlines of the local section, the section that interests me most. The first headline reads, “Gunman shot in freeway standoff", what a nice start to my Christmas holiday.

A little bit down the page the next two articles read, “Boy, 10, fatally shot at stoplight” and “Woman shot by police identified” ,this is where I start to see the theme.

Christmas is one of the few holidays that I still celebrate. Today I lost the will to do anything. I didn’t even go to church, and I love going to my church. I love the people, the activities, the ceremonies, and it’s growing list of traditions.

With heavy heart I continue to read about the “Former teacher is back in court” ,or the, “Man convicted of wife's murder” ,and not to leave out the “Forgery suspected after thefts of mailbox bins” ,ain’t that a hoot.

I start to think back to when I was a youngster, waiting for Santa. We had a tradition of opening just one present on Christmas Eve, as I grew into adulthood, married, and had children I kept that tradition going. This year my children are grown and out of the house, and I didn’t even feel like putting up a tree.
The only other time that I even came close to not having a tree was about two years after I’d moved to Riverside and hadn’t the funds. That year Santa came to my rescue. The Riverside Police Department, through the urging of my children’s elementary school principle, Tina Petix (Highland Elementary), gave us back Christmas. They gave my two son’s brand new Schwinn bikes, a plethora of toys, various gift cards and gift certificates, a Christmas tree, a turkey, and a lot of other goodies.

That year the RPD and RUSD both found a permanent loving spot in my heart. That is why I like seeing headlines like “Schools not left behind in funds” ,or the paper speaking about Riverside’s “Spirit of Giving” . I really wish that those articles weren’t at bottom of the page.

Over the last thirteen years of spending Christmas in Riverside I’ve learned a lot about the Christmas Spirit. I’ve learned of good and bad when my sons’ new Schwinns were stolen less then two month after Christmas. I’ve learned of love and hate after my second wife left me to do her drugs in a place where I couldn’t stop her. I’ve learned of sorrow and generosity while working with the American Red Cross and seeing the aftermath of a family’s home burn down at Christmas, and having the community help restore that families Christmas almost over night. I see homeless on the streets, but I also see people trying to help them. I see bright lights on houses and buildings; I hear singing in the streets; Santas are in the malls; people filling the churches, and the people of Riverside showing their love for each other.

What do you want your Christmas Eve headlines to read, or not read? Please let us know in the comment section below. Merry Christmas.