Melville H. Nahin, 33°
1924 San Ysidro Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210

"Closed for Inventory" the sign reads. We all know what that means. The company is taking stock, counting how many widgets and thingamajigs have been sold, how many are still on hand, and what losses or damages have occurred. Depending on when a particular company's fiscal year starts and ends, that's when the inventory is taken. Once all this has been done, correct information is available when filing reports with banks, insurance companies, and the government.

December, the month preceding the New Year, is a natural time for us to inventory our lives. And, typically, the month of December contains many customs to put us in the mood for introspection.

For Christians, we have the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, a holiday full of faith, hope, and love. Mankind received new instruction some 2,000 years ago as to how we should live within ourselves, respect others, and observe the faith of our fathers. We do this in joy and with deep reflection.

Also in December, those of the Jewish faith celebrate the freedom attained by the ancient Israelites fighting against religious domination. We learn, once again, that faith in God is central to the conduct of our lives.

Christian or Jew, we are preparing for the New Year, and in that preparation, we traditionally take inventory of what has happened during the past year so that we may set new standards or continue existing ones. Our New Year's resolutions, whether we live up to them or not, are the basis of the next 12 months of our lives.

Unfortunately, some of us do not pay attention to the messages we learn and relearn during the month of December. In fact, the holidays of December are alerts for the soul, though we must attune ourselves to them.

Greeting card and other companies do a burgeoning business during this month, but the celebrations for Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year have their basis in custom, not commercialism. Custom has it that when we see or write to friends and acquaintances, we wish them a good year—a Happy New Year—so that they may be written in the Book of Life, common to all men, for good. These greetings remind us and others that these days are days of judgment in a sense, that the reckoning of our accounts with our Maker is taking place. Sometimes we do this at other times of the year in recognition of our religious faiths, but as a communal period and in line with our civil calendars, in December, we ask for good things for ourselves, our families, and our friends. Whether we realize it or not, we are also asking for the kindness and compassion of the Deity for our friends and relatives because, while we have free will, each of us is dependent upon others and upon faith for our survival.
This time of year, we especially try to increase or enhance our performance of charitable giving. As thoroughly and as scrupulously as we would examine the stock room and look at each shelf when taking inventory, we must do similarly with our personal inventory. We are supposed to consider what loss and damage others have incurred at our expense, whether we really have all the good deeds in store that we think we have or tell others we have, and what charitable deeds we need to stock or restock for the coming year. Thankfully, however, when taking our personal inventories, we don't have to close up shop.

Melville H. Nahin is an attorney in Los Angeles, a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California (1998–99), Past Venerable Master of Los Angeles Valley, present Chairman of Los Angeles Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinic, Past Master Ionic Lodge No. 520 and Southern California Research Lodge, and Chairman of the Board of Governors Shriners Hospitals for Children–Los Angeles Unit.