Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Michael Frerichs Illinois Treasurer
    Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces $50 Million Loan Program to Help Federal Workers During Shutdown Economy
  • Kat Abughazaleh 9th DIstrict Congress 2026 candidate democrat
    Federal Grand Jury in Chicago Indicts Six Individuals on Charges of Impeding Federal Agent Engaged in Immigration Enforcement Operations Civil Rights
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Little Girl Rescued from Feared Danger and Reunited with Dad News
  • Hastings insurance legislation
    Hastings announces legislation to ensure fair homeowners insurance rates for Illinois families Business
  • Mahnoor Ahmad campaign photo
    Mahnoor Ahmad runs for DuPage County Board seat Democrat
  • Sunday, October 26, the Village of Orland Park formally rededicated its Village Hall in honor of the late former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens
    Village of Orland Park Rededicates Village Hall in Honor of Late Former Mayor Fredrick T. Owens Government
  • Fire at townhome at 13900 block of Berkhansted Court in Orland Park, just before midnight on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025
    Firefighter treated for dehydration battling townhouse fire in Orland Park – no residents injured Fire
  • Firefighters with the Orland Fire Protection District who responded to a fire in an apartment at 15200 block of Al Camino Terrace on Saturday morning said the next day that they did find a kitten that needed respiratory aid that they saved.
    FIRE UPDATE: Fire District releases photos of kitten saved from Orland Park apartment fire Saturday Features
  • two-story apartment building on the 15200 block of El Camino Terrace in Orland Park
    Orland Park apartment fire Saturday morning, no injuries Fire
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings calls for bipartisan action to protect Illinois families from SNAP benefit shutdown Baby Boomers
  • Illinios Industrial Energy Consumers, information ad
    Get information on the Illinois Energy Omnibus Bill in Springfield Business
  • State Senator Mike Porfirio secured over $20 million to support infrastructure improvements and construction in the 11th Senate District.
    Senator Porfirio applauds more than $20 million in infrastructure repairs coming to the 11th District News
  • Dad and daughter reunited Lebving Law firm photo
    Little Girl Recovered and Reunited with Dad After Long Separation Dads' Rights
  • 11-03-25 OFPD Coffee living alone
    Orland Fire hosts meeting on helping Seniors who live alone Nov. 5 Baby Boomers
  • State Senator Michael Hastings introduces law to revive long dormant and degraded Tinley Park Mental Health Center into a Sports Park for the community. Photo courtesy of the State Senate President Don Harmon
    Hastings secures $250,000 grant for Easterseals Academy’s Tinley Park campus Health

Merry Christmas, and clean up that garbage mess!

Posted on December 22, 2017November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Merry Christmas, and clean up that garbage mess!
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Merry Christmas, and clean up that garbage mess!

I live my life by certain principles and conduct and I think that everyone should respect some basic commonsense and acts of respect in our society. These are mine.

By Ray Hanania

I live my life by certain concepts.

Don’t move next door to an airport and complain about the noise.

Don’t buy a big home at a cheap price in a region filled with forest preserves, and complain about the coyotes. Stand by the door and watch your dog when you let it out!

Pay attention to your children. Know what your kids do during the day. Do you realize they might be in a street gang and up to no good? Or do you close your eyes to the truth and when something happens you blame everyone except yourself?

Garbage cans line the streets in Chicagos suburbs. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
Garbage cans line the streets in Chicagos suburbs. Lined up the way they should be. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania

If your son is out on the street at midnight with a knife in his hand, don’t blame the police when they refuse to disarm or get down on the ground.

Say “Merry Christmas.” I don’t care if some people think it’s politically incorrect to say it. So, I’ll say it again. “Merry Christmas.” Christmas is both a religious celebration and a national holiday that is a major part of American culture.

From Jimmy Stewart in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!”

That doesn’t mean we don’t respect other religions. Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza and Happy Ramadan, too.

America is more diverse today than ever, but that doesn’t mean that we must erase our cultural foundations. If you’re Jewish or Muslim, say “Merry Christmas” to a Christian. It’s the right thing to do. And I’ll say, “Happy Hanukkah” to Jews, “Happy Kwanza” to Blacks – if they celebrate it – and, “Happy Ramadan” to Muslims.

Don’t demand respect for yourself and not give it to others.

Handicapped parking spaces should be reserved for people who need assistance walking, not just because they are old or have another disability.

If you have a disability and can drive, that probably means you can park anywhere in a parking lot without a problem. If you don’t have a wheelchair, walker or cane do you really need to take that handicapped parking space?

Keep your home clean. It’s your reflection. Mow the lawn in the Spring and the Summer. Rake the leaves in the Fall. Shovel the snow during the Winter. Pick up the litter on your property.

Does your refrigerator look like a mess when you open it? That’s a reflection of your life, too. Clean up that reflection.

Slow down when you drive. You’re not Vin Diesel in a remake of “The Fast and the Furious.” The newly widened LaGrange Road is not the Indianapolis 500. Do you really have to go 55 in a 35 mph stretch of the road? Do you really have to speed to get in front of someone, and then slow down?

If you’re a real man, open the door and let the woman walk through first. You’re not being sexist! It’s amazing how many women look at me with surprise when I do that. Are today’s men that bad?

Thank the people who do those tough jobs no one wants. Give them some Christmas cash. The garbage man, the recycler, the mailman, and the lawn waste collector. They deserve it.

How about taking time to put that trash out properly? Have you seen how people just throw their garbage along the curb in broken boxes, ripped bags and knocked over garbage cans? Don’t just toss the garbage into a pile and expect it to be picked up. Put it out properly.

Finally, remember this holiday season a great conversation from one of my favorite Humphrey Bogart movies, “We’re No Angels” (1955):

Bogart: “I’m going to buy them their Christmas turkey.”

Aldo Ray: “Buy? Do you really mean ‘buy’?”

Bogart: “Yes, buy! In the Spirit of Christmas … The hard part’s going to be stealing the money to pay for it.”

END

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces $50 Million Loan Program to Help Federal Workers During Shutdown - October 30, 2025
  • Federal Grand Jury in Chicago Indicts Six Individuals on Charges of Impeding Federal Agent Engaged in Immigration Enforcement Operations - October 30, 2025
  • Little Girl Rescued from Feared Danger and Reunited with Dad - October 30, 2025
NPV: 68
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Baby Boomers, Blogger, Commentary, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:clean your home, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Happy Ramadan, Merry Christmas, Police officers, politically correct, respect police, street gangs, watch your kids

Post navigation

Previous Post: 23-year-old Berwyn man charged in DUI related deaths Oct. 9
Next Post: Suspect charged in killing of 16 year old at a Cicero park

Related Posts

  • Midway Airport Airplane taking off. Flights, Planes, Travel
    Quinn & Guerrero-Cuellar Service Office Hosts Soundproof Window Replacement Meeting Chicago
  • Christopher Kennedy, the son of the late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, speaks at a governor's candidates forum Sept. 16, 2017 at Reza's restaurant in Oak Brook hosted by the American Muslim Task Force. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Carrigan attack against Jubeh is pure bullying Blogger
  • Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Illinois Democrats push bill to combat sexual harassment breaking news
  • 1906 Chicago Cubs. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Cub fans have no need to panic Opinion
  • Dr. Beth Damas Kaspar, Orland Fire Protection DIstrict Trustee. APril 28, 2023
    Fire District fills Trustee vacancy with experienced Fire Commissioner Cook County
  • Trump trial driven more by politics than truth Blogger

More Related Articles

Electrical power lines. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania ComEd offers contact info in event of wind damage News
The Dome Restaurant is demolished News
Ray Hanania Biased news media reinforces Trump’s popularity Baby Boomers
Colin Kaepernick passing the ball during a game against Hawaii in October 2010. (Cropped frame out) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The disgraceful conduct of American athletes Blogger
Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east. Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park Blogger
Rockford IceHogs beat Chicago Wolves Oct. 10, 2019 by a 3-2 score Wolves finish in style defeating Grand Rapids Griffins Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch
    October 17, 2025
  • Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio Show small
    The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again
    October 11, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Michael Frerichs Illinois Treasurer
    Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Announces $50 Million Loan Program to Help Federal Workers During Shutdown
    October 30, 2025
  • Kat Abughazaleh 9th DIstrict Congress 2026 candidate democrat
    Federal Grand Jury in Chicago Indicts Six Individuals on Charges of Impeding Federal Agent Engaged in Immigration Enforcement Operations
    October 30, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Little Girl Rescued from Feared Danger and Reunited with Dad
    October 30, 2025
  • Hastings insurance legislation
    Hastings announces legislation to ensure fair homeowners insurance rates for Illinois families
    October 29, 2025
  • Mahnoor Ahmad campaign photo
    Mahnoor Ahmad runs for DuPage County Board seat
    October 29, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme