Christmas Over the Air
“I’m glad Christmas is almost over!” I declared to Randy when he moved us from being on air to a song. He was my button pusher until my retirement while I was the voice of Christmas for 100.5 WKXA. “I don’t want to sound like a Scrooge,” I continued, “but I can see that he had a point… ‘just another day to pick a man’s pocket.”
“I think Christmas actually puts money in your pocket, Joe,” Randy pointed out. “You’re getting paid to be here Christmas night.”
“Only because I don’t have any place I want to go,” I retorted, “I’m not missing anything. The same things happen at every place.”
I noticed we had a caller.
I answered it, using the speaker phone, “This Joe on a Roll! How can I help?”
“I heard what you said about Christmas,” said the caller, “And I…” I hung up in shock.
Randy and I paled. We’re still on the air! Randy didn’t move to a song! I corrected that. By this time, every line on the phone was furiously blinking.
“Well, there goes my job!” I said
“Do we answer them?” Randy asked, gesturing to the phone fearfully. I shrugged. I’m sure people were mobbing the phone lines to flay me alive for my Christmas blasphemy. “We’re dead, aren’t we?” Randy asked.
I knew I couldn’t ignore the callers. I bit the bullet and spoke into the mic. “Welcome back listeners. We have some people waiting to chime in on my… thoughts.”
Then I answered the call on line one.
“WKXA…” I said croakily.
“Is this Joe on the Roll?” a woman, asked in a hard to read tone.
“I don’t know for how long, but yes…”
“I want to say AMEN to what you said,” the woman continued.
My stomach bottomed out and my jaw almost hit my lap. Randy’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out cartoon fashion.
“And I’m sure there are plenty of us who are tired of this sugar-sweet time of year. So, preach it, Brother!”
I felt like I was standing on a ledge. I could jump into this Christmas-hating hole or change my direction.
I look over at Randy and he had written on a notebook in bold letters:
DEFEND CHRISTMAS
He was right, not because my job was on the line along with the station’s reputation. It wasn’t right to end a holiday with complaints.
I swallowed my pride and began.
“What is your name, caller?”
“Barbara.”
“Well, Barbara you all caught me at a bad moment with what I said…” I began lamely.
There was a stiff silence before Barbara spoke, “So what’s the truth Joe on the Roll? You buy into this Christmas Junk or not? You’re okay with excessive shopping and fake joy, ‘I’ve been Dreaming of a White Christmas’ nonsense?”
I covered my mic and whispered to Randy, “I’m not a lawyer, I’m a radio DJ, the voice of Christmas…”
“Then be the voice for Christmas,” Randy whispered back.
How? All I know is music. Then an idea struck me.
“Do you know why the song White Christmas caught America’s attention in the 1940’s?”
“What does this have to do with anything?” Barbara retorted.
“Stay with me Barbara,” I coaxed, “I don’t know everything, but I know music. White Christmas, the original song that was sung by Bing Crosby, came out in the 1940’s when America had just left one dark time and entered another. That song was the hope of our country. Christmas is hope. Does excessive shopping teach that? No. But thinking of others does.”
“But you just said you’re tired of Christmas,” Barbara retorted. “I’m tired of the extra add-ons of Christmas we are told to have,” I explained, “But Christmas isn’t shallow like that.”
“What is it then?” she asked.
Do I dare to cross that line? This isn’t a Christian radio station.
Just then, Randy held up another note:
ADD IN CALLER 4
I did that, “Well, Barbara let’s get caller number four in on this.”
Before Barbara could respond I added in Caller 4, “Thank you for calling WKXA, this is Joe on the Roll.”
“Hi, um…” Began the new caller, another lady, “Can I get in on this Christmas debate?”
“Of course! What’s your name?”
“Trudy,” the second caller said.
“Well, Trudy, what is your opinion on Christmas?”
“It would be impossible to ignore the reason Christmas is celebrated- it’s in the name.”
“Everyone knows that!” Barbara retorted, “But what does anything we do on Christmas have to do with the birth of Jesus? Does anyone go out and give Him presents?”
“We do when we freely give,” Trudy continued, “He has no need for things. Our gifts to the Birthday Boy are when we become the instigators of the smiles.”
“Well said!” I said quickly to Trudy.
“Well, it looks like I’m the Scrooge here,” Barbara said, in an angry tone.
“That was never my intent Barbara,” I said quickly, “I think at times we all have our Scrooge moments. But if we make our way back to Christmas and find that real, and not the pretend kind we try to plaster on for the Christmas cards... we can enjoy again” I take a deep breath and sigh heavily, “What do you say Barbara? How about we give Christmas another try?”
There was a long silence that hung heavily in the DJ booth.
“If Scrooge can… I guess I can try,” came Barbara’s voice.
Randy did a silent victory dance and I chuckled as I said, “God Bless us Everyone!”
THE END
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