Sunday, January 28, 2007 11:34 PM

Hello, All, and a happy, healthy holiday season!
Nov 2005

December is marked with lots of special days, lots of celebrations, family time and joy. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy this month. It doesn't matter what tradition you celebrate.  Each one has something to give to its followers and to the community at large, something real. What I want to talk about in this issue of Drum Beat is what these beautiful holidays are NOT about!

Last month we discussed consumerism and just how distructive it can be -- if it is not controlled.  Part of consumerism is about expectations.  Once you embark on the slippery slope of others expectations, you can get tense, mean and nasty.  No, I'm not talking about good expectations, that you pass your exams, that you drive carefully, or that you love your kids.  I'm talking about buying into keeping up with the Joneses, trying to fulfill everybody's wish list, making meals that are too big, complicated and time consuming to enjoy. etc.

Being able to enjoy revolves around the essence of the holiday, what it's really about.  Once you get jumpy and tense, you know you're missing the point!  Get back on track. December is a winter month; the 21st is the darkest day of the year.  This darkness is confronted by every tradition!

In the Christian tradition, a child is born.  What a wonderful thing.  In the middle of the darkest month, new life! The focus is on this beautiful baby, bringing light into the darkness.  Hanukkah is also about light. We are celebrating the survival of the community in the face of darkness! 

So gather round, bring out the best in others, let them know you care.  Have the guts to stand tall against the whining call of consumerism, greed and outdoing each other. Don't worry about what you don't have; share what you do have. And if you know someone who might be alone, involve them in your plans.  The season is a call for sharing and caring. Make it real.

This is Grampa Al Lewis, wishing you what I would wish for myself. Happy, happy holidays.

Al "Grandpa" Lewis, famous for his role in the classic early sixties series "The Munsters", also a well known actor, comedian, entertainer, book author and acrobat, and his wife, Ms. Karen Lewis, run an inmate pen-pal program as humantiarians. Grandpa and Karen Lewis are honorary lifetime members of the H.A.D. Organization since October, 2002. Grandpa, with his vast knowledge of life, will be regularly contributing articles on a variety of topics, along with his wife. Grandpa has his own radio show, known as "Al Grandpa Lewis Live", which airs every Saturday from 12:00 noon until 1:30 pm on Radio Station WBAI, 99.5FM. If you are interested in writing to an incarcerated individual, through Grandpa and Karen Lewis's penpal program, please feel free to email us at grandpa@hadofnyc.org with your information.