Daily Dialogue — December 24, 2017

“Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled… all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s his birthday we are celebrating. Don’t ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most… and then let each put in his share. Loving-kindness, warm hearts, and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.”

— The Bishop’s Wife (1947), screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici, novel by Robert Nathan

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Holiday, suggested by Denise Garcia.

Trivia: Uncredited writing by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett.

Dialogue On Dialogue: “Loving-kindness, warm hearts, and the stretched out hand of tolerance.” Those would be wonderful Christmas gifts for people to practice, especially in these troubled times.