Penny felt the sincerity behind his words, and sensed that the rest of his audience did, too.
“Before we get to your questions,” he continued, “I’d like to share three regrets I have about publishing my essay. The firstregret is that my actions led to my publisher and agent getting pulled into this. They had no idea the essay existed before it came out and had no say, no input, no role in publishing it. To their credit, they realized, well before I did, that I would need to do something about the mess I found myself in. They’re the ones who came up with a plan to immerse me in Christmas and who pushed, urged, cajoled, persuaded me to agree to that plan. For their efforts on my behalf and for their friendship and support, I am grateful. And to them, I say: I’m sorry I caused you stress and heartache. The next time I have a great idea about how to modify a cherished national tradition, I promise I’ll run the idea by you first.”
He took a deep breath, then continued. “My second regret is that the essay upset a lot of people, including a lot of readers of my books. Upsetting folks was not my intent. I believed I was making a common-sense argument. I hoped to start a discussion about cutting back on the commercial aspects of the holiday.
“Obviously, that hope was not realized. Most people who heard about my essay heard about it from news organizations and social media, and most of what got shared wasn’t the essay itself but rather samples, slices, interpretations of it.
“I should have realized the inevitability of that. I should have anticipated that, in today’s information ecosystem, my essay would get turned into sound bites, memes, and commentary. In a world that lives and dies by the click, it’s inevitable that ‘Daniel Bedford has problems with the over-commercialization of Christmas’ would be simplified to ‘Daniel Bedford hates Christmas.’”
He took a deep breath. “As tempted as I am to blame the media and social media companies for this state of affairs, blaming them wouldn’t be entirely fair. When you toss red meat at a ravenous beast, the beast is gonna bite.
“No, the party who deserves the blame is me — for not realizing how my essay would be transformed and amplified.
“So to everyone who loves Christmas and is upset about my essay, I’d like to apologize for causing you distress. I should have anticipated how my essay would be repurposed and how what you heard about it might upset you. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”
From her spot near the podium, Penny had a good view of the entire room. It was hard to tell how Daniel’s words were landing —she doubted the reporters were entirely comfortable with his critique of their profession — but he definitely had everyone’s complete attention.
“My third regret —my most important regret —isn’t about how the essay was communicated or who it upset, but about the essay itself and the argument I made. As mentioned earlier, when I published the essay, I believed my essay was right. I was fully prepared to stand behind every word I wrote.”
The audience leaned forward. Finally, the moment they’d been waiting for. Was Daniel Bedford about to disavow his essay?
CHAPTER 23
“What I regret,” Daniel said, taking a deep breath, “and this is the hard part for me, the humbling part, the growth-inducing part, is that, until I spent time here in Heartsprings Valley, I didn’t appreciate that my essay, which I thought was right, was also wrong.”
A murmur went through the crowd. What in the world did he mean by that?
“I can see from your expressions that you want me to do a better job of explaining this obvious contradiction.
“I’ll begin by stating what I believe is right about the essay. The facts —the numbers, the data —in the essay are, as far as I can tell, accurate. Also, the essay’s argument against the holiday’s over-commercialization is, in my view, valid. I continue to believe that Christmas costs too much and that spending less on the holiday would benefit most people.”
He took a deep breath. “But here’s what wrong with the essay. I made several characterizations about the holiday —that its traditions are ‘tedious’ and ’hollow,’ for example —that are unfair and wrong. I apologize without reservation for those characterizations. Over the past few days here in Heartsprings Valley, I’ve been given the opportunity to take part in a varietyof holiday activities, and I’m pleased to report that I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I got to ride in a horse-drawn sleigh pulled by a beautiful horse named Bessie, sipped homemade hot cider at a Wassail celebration at Northland Orchard, chopped down a tree —a Balsam fir —at Abner’s Christmas Tree Farm, shopped for Christmas ornaments at Cane Hardware, decorated a Christmas tree at Heartsprings Valley Cafe, and helped book-lovers find perfect gifts for their loved ones here at The Tattered Page. I was able to do all of this thanks to the kindness and generosity of the people of Heartsprings Valley. To everyone I’ve met here, thank you for making my trip so memorable and important.”
He took a deep breath. “I say ‘important’ because the folks I’ve met here have shown me what my essay is missing.” His gaze found Penny. “As a wise woman recently pointed out, I’ve been so focused on one particular aspect of Christmas —its commercialization —that I lost sight of everything else that makes the holiday special.
“Christmas,” he continued, turning back to address the crowded room, “is the sum of many wonderful things. It’s the joy of kids opening presents under the Christmas tree. It’s folks traveling from afar to share the holiday with their loved ones. It’s Christmas cookies, hot cocoa, holiday sweaters, colorful lights, and snowmen galore. It’s reaching out to help those less fortunate. It’s belting out songs we learned as kids and still know by heart. It’s celebrating life’s blessings with our friends, neighbors, families, and communities.”
Penny felt a rush of emotion. The power of his words was undeniable. His sincerity was shining through.
“I stand here today a changed man. When I arrived in Heartsprings Valley, five short days ago, I was —I realize this now —a full-on Christmas grouch.
“My advice to the other grouches out there is this: Learn from my mistakes. Don’t be me. Open your heart. Allow yourself to enter a Christmas state of mind. The holiday is what you make of it. I urge all of you to make it wonderful and great.”
He stood there for a long moment, then said, “Thank you for being here today. I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. I’ll be happy to take your questions.”
The room exploded as reporters shouted out questions. One by one, Daniel provided answers that were clear and genuine. Many reporters asked about things he’d already shared in his statement, but throughout he remained patient and courteous.
As she watched him handle the room, Penny felt a mixture of relief and pride. He looked so calm, so confident, behind the podium.
Because he’s speaking his truth, she realized.He’s opened his heart to Christmas and it shows.
Eventually, the questions died down. After looking around the room, a reporter raised his hand. “If you could go back in time and change what you did, would you?”
Daniel glanced at Penny before turning back to the reporter. “No, I wouldn’t. If I hadn’t written the essay, if the entire world hadn’t gotten upset with me, if I hadn’t been persuaded to travel to Heartsprings Valley, then I wouldn’t have figured out what I was missing about Christmas and, more importantly, I wouldn’t have met the inspiration for my next novel.”
Penny froze. The inspiration for his next novel? He’d told her his next book was about a bookstore. Did that mean…?
The reporter asked, “What’s your next book about?”
