Politicians: Put me in the Christmas spirit by following your own advice

I recently declined my dad’s invitation that my family and I come home for Christmas. “Home,” from his perspective, is Northern Arizona — where I grew up.

We offered a polite declination because we’re trying to do the right thing by staying home for Christmas. “Home,” from our perspective, being our home — in Phoenix.

Over the last two months, it seems like anytime an official-looking government official opens their official mouths, they’re officially telling us “don’t go there!” “There” being anywhere but our home.

Now, in a normal year (if you close your eyes and try really hard, you can remember normal), going home for Christmas would be all warm, fuzzy and  sentimental. But this year, we’ve been warned that going home for Christmas could be all deadly for Grandma. Equally deadly can be having Grandma over to your place — and not because she could get into a hit-and-run with a reindeer.

No, if you have Grandma over, she could get run over by COVID on Christmas Eve.

In fact, we’re told that any get together — even without Grandma or Grandpa there — could lead to someone else having a world without a grandma or grandpa.

My dad would love to have his grandkids (and me and my wife) visit him in the nether regions of Arizona, but we’re trying to do the right thing — just like the state Health Director Dr. Cara Christ, is trying to do: She says she will be spending Christmas with her immediate household family only.

“We’ve actually told my brother, who lives out of state, not to come,” Christ told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.

And many others are trying to do Christmas right as well. AAA says that this year, America will see its largest decline in holiday travel ever.

I’ve come to grips with not seeing my dad this year. But if I was told visiting him at Christmas could make it his last Christmas, so I don’t go — and then it ends up being his last Christmas anyway — I’ll be ticked.

Short of that, I will be the most ticked if I see a repeat of the outrageous, hypocritical Thanksgiving behavior we saw from some elected officials. Like Denver’s mayor — who tweeted from the airport that people shouldn’t travel and less than an hour later was on a plane, flying to see family in Mississippi. Or Austin’s mayor, who recorded a video telling people to stay home — while vacationing in Cabo.

Seeing more of that will have me feeling less Christmas spirit than not seeing my dad because it will leave me feeling zero goodwill towards our “leaders.” Plus, I’m pretty sure wanting to punch politicians in the nose doesn’t sound like peace on earth.

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