Holiday Break & Link of the Day: the handsomest holiday
Greetings Katsopo-Gavinites,
As you've probably noticed, Magz and I are taking a little break for the holidays. Yes, a little R&R after a long, eventful year. I suppose we should have posted this note before we went on vacation...but isn't that the point of a break? Wanton apathy? Oh, and partaking of a little spiked eggnog.
Well, as you might expect, one person in the city of San Francisco isn't taking a break for Christmas. No, he's pretty much running full steam ahead on the Awesome Express. Who am I talking about? Why, Gavin, of course.
From The Examiner comes this tale of Mayor Newsom's holiday heroism. You see, some mayors might sit idly by in their mansions, smoking cigars and sipping brandy by the fire, leaving the children of their fair city to their collective Christmastime fates. Some mayors might not care what happens to the little urchins, insisting on the term urchins as they dine over fatted goose with the captains of industry in a feast of holiday splendor the likes of which you or I will never see. Yes, this scenario is all too likely.
Thankfully, our Gavin has a heart. The Children's Community Tree project had their tannenbaum woefully stolen this year. Once Newsom got wind of the theft, he raced to replace the tree--relighting the hope and joy in the hearts of San Franciscans everywhere. What a guy.
Now some might point out that the children's tree was stolen on December 9th, and The Mayor's office didn't officially announce their plan to replace the tree until the 21st. Some might point out that there are a scant three days between the day of the tree ceremony (the 22nd) and the 25th, leaving a somewhat irrelevant amount of time for the children to appreciate the tree before it and their handmade ornaments get thrown in the trash and covered by empty Starbucks cups. To them I say this: ever heard of a little thing called suspense?
Christmas miracles take time. You don't just pop in and sucker punch Mr. Potter at the first whiff of trouble. No sir. Like a fine wine, a true holiday rescue requires the gut-wrenching doom to really ferment. Sure the orphanage just found out that they'll have to close, shoving hundreds of skinny urchins out into the streets. But you just can't make the saving donation until they've noticed the coming blizzard, the evil headmistress has made a deal to turn the orphanage into a sweatshop, and little Timmy has started coughing up blood. The clouds truly have to gather before the bleak words can come whispered from trembling lips: "I guess there just might not be a Christmas this year, kids."
Then, bam! Who's that fat old man squeezing his way through the window? Why, it's Santa, kids! And he's got money and teddy bears and vaccines! And all the little urchins rejoice. Believe me, it's the suspense that makes them so happy. If you had just written a check at the first sign of trouble, they barely would've looked up from their gruel long enough to notice.
Thus, Gavin executed a beautifully timed Christmas miracle, waiting until the very last second to bestow upon the children a new tree, and rekindling their faith in humanity just before they had the time to go out and buy a Nietzche primer and start wearing black eyeliner. Well played, Gavin. Well played.
-- Alex Newkirk
As you've probably noticed, Magz and I are taking a little break for the holidays. Yes, a little R&R after a long, eventful year. I suppose we should have posted this note before we went on vacation...but isn't that the point of a break? Wanton apathy? Oh, and partaking of a little spiked eggnog.
Well, as you might expect, one person in the city of San Francisco isn't taking a break for Christmas. No, he's pretty much running full steam ahead on the Awesome Express. Who am I talking about? Why, Gavin, of course.
From The Examiner comes this tale of Mayor Newsom's holiday heroism. You see, some mayors might sit idly by in their mansions, smoking cigars and sipping brandy by the fire, leaving the children of their fair city to their collective Christmastime fates. Some mayors might not care what happens to the little urchins, insisting on the term urchins as they dine over fatted goose with the captains of industry in a feast of holiday splendor the likes of which you or I will never see. Yes, this scenario is all too likely.
Thankfully, our Gavin has a heart. The Children's Community Tree project had their tannenbaum woefully stolen this year. Once Newsom got wind of the theft, he raced to replace the tree--relighting the hope and joy in the hearts of San Franciscans everywhere. What a guy.
Now some might point out that the children's tree was stolen on December 9th, and The Mayor's office didn't officially announce their plan to replace the tree until the 21st. Some might point out that there are a scant three days between the day of the tree ceremony (the 22nd) and the 25th, leaving a somewhat irrelevant amount of time for the children to appreciate the tree before it and their handmade ornaments get thrown in the trash and covered by empty Starbucks cups. To them I say this: ever heard of a little thing called suspense?
Christmas miracles take time. You don't just pop in and sucker punch Mr. Potter at the first whiff of trouble. No sir. Like a fine wine, a true holiday rescue requires the gut-wrenching doom to really ferment. Sure the orphanage just found out that they'll have to close, shoving hundreds of skinny urchins out into the streets. But you just can't make the saving donation until they've noticed the coming blizzard, the evil headmistress has made a deal to turn the orphanage into a sweatshop, and little Timmy has started coughing up blood. The clouds truly have to gather before the bleak words can come whispered from trembling lips: "I guess there just might not be a Christmas this year, kids."
Then, bam! Who's that fat old man squeezing his way through the window? Why, it's Santa, kids! And he's got money and teddy bears and vaccines! And all the little urchins rejoice. Believe me, it's the suspense that makes them so happy. If you had just written a check at the first sign of trouble, they barely would've looked up from their gruel long enough to notice.
Thus, Gavin executed a beautifully timed Christmas miracle, waiting until the very last second to bestow upon the children a new tree, and rekindling their faith in humanity just before they had the time to go out and buy a Nietzche primer and start wearing black eyeliner. Well played, Gavin. Well played.
-- Alex Newkirk
Labels: Christmas, gavin newsom, heroism
posted by jessegavin at 8:24 PM
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