Radio Australia Today Editorial

Christmas. Another Year Over.

24 December 2008

A new one just begun.

As a kid, I never had much time for John Lennon’s song ‘Happy Xmas War is over’.

It was produced during the war in Vietnam, and was part of Lennon’s canon of protest warbles about Attica State prison shootings, the jailing of Angela Davis, the English presence in Ireland. You name it, he protested about it. As far as Happy Xmas is concerned,  I always thought it was rich that a fabulously wealthy man could go around preaching that everyone else was not doing the right thing by the world.

Maybe it’s been the ageing process, and the entry of a bit of maturity into this thick head, but I’ve recently come to reassess the song, and seen it for what it was, a plea for people to look at their lives and to give thought to making it better. It’s all in the one line: “And look what you’ve done”.

And with Christmas here, the song is playing all over the place again. It’s probably time to to reflect on just what we have done.

Have we apologised enough?

Have we thanked enough?

Have we smiled enough?

Have we helped enough?

Have we listened to the quiet people enough?

Have we looked up into the trees enough?

Have we cut ourselves a break enough?

Enough. Have a great Christmas. Feel good about yourself. Lay back and watch the stars and remember all the good things in your life. When your dog gets excited to see you, give it right back to ‘em. Life’s pretty fab, actually.

- Phil