Interesting Times with Ross Douthat ‘A Hard Time We Had of It’
14 snips
Dec 24, 2025 Holiday greetings set a festive tone as reflections on the uncertain year ahead emerge. A meaningful reading of T.S. Eliot's "The Journey of the Magi" delves into themes of transformation and hardship. The dark undertones of the poem spark a discussion about the interplay of darkness and light, essential to grasping the true spirit of Christmas. Ross encourages listeners to embrace the darkness to appreciate the light, wrapping up with warm wishes.
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Reading A Dark Christmas Poem
- Ross Douthat describes reading T.S. Eliot's 'The Journey of the Magi' to his children and reacting to its darkness.
- He connects the poem's harsh journey imagery to the deeper meaning of Christmas as emerging light from darkness.
A Harsh Journey To Revelation
- The poem narrates a difficult winter journey with camels, hostile towns, and little shelter.
- It culminates in finding a satisfactory place at evening after long hardship and uncertainty.
Birth Felt Like Death
- The poem's narrator questions whether the journey led to birth or death and calls the birth 'hard and bitter agony' like death.
- Douthat notes his children found the poem 'kind of dark' when he practiced reading it.
