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Imrem: How about a day of peace for Bears?

Season's greetings and best wishes arrived by email late last week.

Peace … Noel … Joy … Jingle Bells … Love … Angel … Navidad … Faith …

The sentiments were conveyed in the shape of a Christmas tree. At the top was an orange "C" centered inside a star.

The e-card came from the Chicago Bears Football Club, presumably including all the McCaskeys along with Ted Phillips, Phil Emery, Marc Trestman, Jay Cutler and everyone else up at Halas Hall.

The mind immediately raced toward the realization that they currently are among the most criticized people on not just the local sports landscape but in the entire Chicago area.

Not today, though.

Not in this space.

The Christmas wishes from the Bears were a reminder that we're dealing with people here, not just cardboard cutouts and cartoon characters.

So let's declare a cease-fire for the day, inspired by the one in 1914 between World War I's opposing forces.

In certain pockets of the Western Front, fighting stopped and the enemies exchanged goodwill gestures.

If that could happen then in the heat of battle, it shouldn't be difficult now in the heat of sports.

Let's be kind at least for today. Let's remember that we talk about sports on these pages, not war, and about sports figures, not warriors.

Plenty of time will remain starting Friday to demand that the McCaskeys sell the Bears, that Phil Emery and Marc Trestman be fired, that Jay Cutler be released, that Halas Hall be remade into a roller rink.

Today is a day to recall what the day is all about, what the holiday season is all about, what Christmas is all about, what Hanukkah was all about, what Kwanzaa will be all about.

Peace … Noel … Joy … Jingle Bells … Love … Angel … Navidad … Faith …

Seriously, if a Christmas Day truce could be observed during a World War 100 years ago, one certainly can be during an NFL season 100 years later.

Maybe a sports cease-fire around here will spread around the world. Hey, it's the season of miracles, isn't it?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a day - even just one day - even just this day - to turn on all-news radio and not have to hear about the body count of wounded and dead around town and around the world?

Sure that's impossible both here and there and in both sports and society.

But not taking the Bears' dysfunction so seriously would be a start.

Being concerned about any sport - which in reality is being concerned about something that doesn't matter - is a way to take out frustrations over things that do matter.

But we get so bothered about football. My goodness, we're bothered in print and in bars and in so many other places.

Then when we're finished venting over sports, we're still bothered by trivialities like some saying happy holiday instead of merry Christmas and stores being sold out of a particular toy and bothered by the sun rising so late and setting so early.

From there it's a short leap to being bothered some more by Jay Cutler making bad decisions, Marc Trestman making worse decisions and Phil Emery making the worst decisions.

To say nothing of being bothered by whatever the McCaskeys do on a daily basis.

Not today, though.

Today - even if only today - is for a big ol' digital spruce made out of cheery thoughts and high hopes.

Peace … Noel … Joy … Jingle Bells … Love … Angel … Navidad … Faith …

Have a merry Christmas, everyone, including everyone associated with the Bears.

Or have a happy holiday, if that's how you prefer your season's greeting.

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