By David Fortier 

Come Sunday morning, Christmas will be behind us, but what a good day (and a good week, too). The day brought most of us together at home for presents and Christmas dinner. The presents we opened in the typical youngest to oldest, one gift at a time, with lots of laughs and some guesses. The day ended with some of us, not all, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” our family tradition, even if at least one is a little bored—something I cannot believe. 

Every year I look forward to our viewing—which typically happens after Mary and I attend the Christmas vigil and everyone having opened one gift each—in the glow of the Christmas lights. And every year, I wait for my favorite lines, feel my heart swell, until the end when my heart is about to burst, and I have to hold back tears. Every year! And this year was no different (except that this is the first time we watched in color, so that was lots of chatters about how the filmmakers decided to go with what colors.) 

We did not have a full house this year because on the Wednesday before Christmas, Mary and I welcomed our third grandchild—of course, this was a virtual welcoming, since the birth was in the City, where it just so happens all the grandchildren were born (even if they don’t reside there with their parents any longer—not since COVID drove them out). So we have a couple of 2 year olds and a newborn among the grandchildren. 

Note: We continue to mask, especially with the Omicron variant closing in, and we have added the 15-minute rapid tests to our visits. For instance, before our Christmas gathering everyone tested—and everyone tested negative. On our planned visit to see the new grandchild in-person, the agreement is that we will rapid test. And then we can relax and enjoy each other’s company. 

It is the most wonderful time of the year—yes, I have heard that refrain a thousand times through the month of December when Christmas music blares 24/7. It is wonderful whether there is snow or not, and even if there is freezing rain and slippery walks and driveways—careful!  

For this week’s reading listening, it’s time to listen to the most radical voice in the good old United States, Noam Chomsky. If he is someone whose name you have heard, then you know he is controversial. Just give him a listen and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because he is pretty much dismissed by the press—of course, he is a critic of the press and government and lots of other stuff in our society. 

When I started at my current position, teaching English at the high school 30-minutes away from Bristol—this was about 20 years ago now, I opened the Hartford Courant and saw that one of my new colleagues wrote an op-ed, as they were called back then, against Chomsky speaking at Central Connecticut State University. I wrote a letter to the editor, which did not get published, and I put a copy in this new colleague’s mailbox at school.  

What followed was an extended exchange, in letters, between us arguing the finer points of free speech.  The exchange was written up in the school newspaper. Over the course of the exchange, the two of us did not give any ground, but we became friends, and the students witnessed an exercise in how the public forum works to broaden speech. Chomsky has that kind of effect on people. 

For the podcast, once again, I turn to the Erza Klein Show, this time a “Best of” show from April that aired on Dec. 21. “Noam Chomsky’s Theory of the Good Life” can be found here. 

Best wishes for a happy New Year! 

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org.