Monday, December 25, 2006

Christmas in the Poconos, 2006


The Clarks and the Davidians pose in Milford, Pa.

The good life, according to the Roman philosopher Lucretius, requires two conditions: a body free of pain, and a mind free of fear and worry.

Look at these faces in the above holiday photo taken by remote control at 124 Vandermark Place in Milford, Pa. Are there any hints of fear, worry or pain? None at all.

Lucretius did not mention Christmas gift giving in his classic “The Nature of Things.” It was written in the first century B.C. But I will take a moment to mention a few of the gifts exchanged in the Pocono foothills. Poppy (middle row, far right), received a printer for his computer. Aaron (the stoic little angel in the middle row, far left) received a toy truck track. Michael (front row, third from left) received an unusual pinball game, and Madeline (front row, far left) warmly received a nano-Ipod, capable of playing digital music.

These toys and machines are all wonderful, but do they lead to the good life? Lucretius is silent on the topic. I suspect not. Rather, the glowing faces and sparkling eyes in the above picture are fueled by the joy of family, friendship and the laughter of children. A modest proposal: Next year, no gifts! We’ll just sit in the big room and sing songs. (Please respond below in the comments section of this blog entry.)

In other holiday news, the team of Casey Clark and Mike Davidian won the prestigious Clark Family Holiday Euchre Tournament.

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