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A few things to remember

By MONROE ROARK

A few things to remember as we enter the final days before Christmas, in no particular order:

• If you have to pull the collar up on your winter coat to keep out the bitter cold, remember that you actually have a winter coat.

• If you get stuck in traffic on busy roads trying to go here and there, remember that you have a car.

• If you stand in some long lines at various stores getting those final Christmas gifts, remember that you have some money to spend.

• If you have to bundle up early every day this week and trudge off to work, remember that you have a job.

• If you worry about the power bill as you turned up the heat on a frigid night, remember that you have a roof over your head.

• If you stand in ridiculous security lines at the airport this week, remember that you can afford to fly to see your loved ones during the holidays.

• If you hear some overplayed holiday song for what seems like the 10,000th time, remember that your hearing is good.

• If you get slow service in a nice restaurant one night this week, remember that you can afford to eat out at a nice restaurant once in a while.

• If you swing your legs over the side of the bed and dread having to get up early to make that final sale, remember that are healthy enough to get out of bed by yourself.

• If you are frustrated because you grabbed the wrong shoes or the wrong purse in your rush to get out the door, remember that you have more than one pair of shoes and more than one purse.

• If your children are running through the house like a whirlwind and you think you can’t stand the confusion and mess, remember that your children are not lying in hospital beds during Christmas.

• If you can’t wait for the kids to get back to school after New Year’s, remember that they have a school to attend.

• If you look out the window and see that neighbor’s house you think is so tacky because of overdone decorations, remember that you’re not sitting in darkness every day because of blindness.

• If you have to stop suddenly for a police car or an ambulance to speed by, or you must sit patiently at an intersection while an officer directs traffic, remember that public safety personnel will be on the job throughout the holidays, regardless of the day or the weather.

• If the thought of your parents or your in-laws coming to visit this week makes you physically ill, remember that many people will be putting flowers on gravestones and leaving empty chairs at the dinner table this weekend.

• If you get bent out of shape because the stores and the streets are filled with people who just won’t bother to learn English, remember the countries that have built walls to keep their own people in, while our nation remains the way to a better life for the millions who try to come here each year.

• If you want to rear-end the car in front of you because of a bumper sticker promoting that idiot candidate for president who ran against your guy, remember that you live in a country where you can promote your candidate on the bumper of your car without government interference.

• If you think that Christmas card you’re reading with the little musical chip inside is so stupid, remember that you are holding in your hands more computer technology than existed in the entire world before 1948. That technology runs most of the comforts in your home and your car.

• And if you see a nativity scene, or a cross, or any other symbol of the true reason for this holiday, remember that the greatest gift of all is available to you if you choose to receive it.