An East Hampton Christmas Story

The original Christmas story is really a simple story of two homeless travelers with very little money being refused a place to stay even when the woman is heavy with child. Eventually kindness is defined by someone offering use of a stable or manger for the child to be born.

All newborn children are special, pure and beautiful. It is the miracle of life. Now with our entire scientific prowess of seeing other worlds, we still haven’t found this miracle anywhere else but our world.

The beauty of the original story is a child is born and brings joy and hope. Joy is so needed in a life where the vast majority must sacrifice, suffer in work, and be subservient. Hope is the chance life may change for the better.

On the East End of Long Island it is very much a Charles “Dickens-like” tale of two cities. There are the wealthiest of the wealthy along side the local hard working life living folks. It is the salt of the earth and the finest lace users all living within close proximity.

The beauty is in the topography of this area that brings both rich and poor the joy of a Christmas morning every day. In the ten years that I toiled out an existence living all over East Hampton, ending up in a rented trailer off the ocean at Ditch Plains, Montauk, did I capture the essence of the joy. It was my now deceased beagle, Bo, who really first opened my eyes. Bo was my daughter’s dog but issues brought him to be my dog. He reveled all four seasons on his walks along the rocky surf spray of the ocean beaches. He would look at me as only a happy dog can beam.His joy made me happy. Divorce along with bad life choices and a huge dose of failed family business had me squirreled in Montauk.

I used to kid others I was only visiting Montauk with a red card, the one they give you when all is not going so well. Then the miracle happened.

The folks of Montauk gave me love. They welcomed me to their tables, homes and made my outlook change. My gift with words brought me opportunity .The local East Hampton residents gave me a place to feel joy. Then the rest is good history as a person with joy can share that joy. My mythical red card expired when I met the woman who is now my wife and I moved up island right off the Great South Bay in East Patchogue. However, eight months of the year I still spend weekdays out on Gardiner’s Bay sailing and appreciating the beauty the very first settlers were drawn to.

This is my Christmas story