Many will celebrate Christmas this week. December is always a time of many emotions for me. I love putting up Christmas lights, decorating inside and out. The music of the holiday season strongly dominates the radio stations. Department stores commercialize and create atmospheres of excitement and anticipation.
T.V. holiday movies are non-stop and I faithfully sit and watch them year after year, able to quote dialogue word for word and reminisce about the numerous times I have seen them and with whom. Scrooge, White Christmas, and It’s A Wonderful Life, top the list of shows that have entertained, taught valuable lessons, and stirred emotions that always seem to be heightened at this time of year.
Despite the joy and the merriment that can be heartwarming in December, there can be moments of sadness and misty memories as well. Music can trigger thoughts of special Christmas times and celebrations shared with loved ones now gone. It can be about family, parents’ favourite Christmas carols, church hymns, cards that used to come in the mail, homemade cookies and friends’ silly gifts. As the song goes, “a few of our favourite things”. We miss those things and lamenting their loss, though normal, can pull us away from the joy that Christmastime can give us.
I am aware that not everyone remembers Christmas in the same way. I only share my thoughts. We all have different stories, some good, others not. That is the reality of our world.
I recently spoke with a woman who told me that she does not celebrate Christmas any more because her husband died some years ago on Christmas Day. Another man I know wants to forget Christmas exists because it is his first year as a widower. People who are seriously ill wonder if they will be around for one more Christmas. There are those who get so stressed at this time of year, that they cannot wait for it to be over. Death touched my family one year when my mother-in-law died less than a week before Christmas. It can surely alter one’s feelings, but our lives can change at any time during the year, not just around the holiday season.
I was married thirty seven years ago on December 21st. My wife and I have had two new homes into which we moved both in December, days before the 25th. They were new beginnings, happy times and moments to cherish.
So what is it about Christmas that tugs at the heart with such tension? It evokes sentiments that we really don’t experience at any other time of the year. For those religious, it is a time of spiritual remembrance and hope. For others, it can be a celebration of light and a time of gift exchange. I do believe, however, that everyone has feelings of good will and a sense of outreach. We seem to recognize more the reality of those who have plenty and those who have less. The spirit and energy of the world comes alive.
I think that this special time of year calls for each one of us to immerse our whole heart into the details of our lives. Reflect on the past and present, with all its joys, sorrows and unexpected events. Remember them deeply. Feel them deeply. Let them tell you who you are and who you have become. More important is who you can become. Try to find gentle gratitude even in the more difficult moments. Believe that the path you are on is as it should be and embrace new directions. Surround yourself with family, whatever family is for you. Recognize their gifts and accept their frailties without judgement. Accept, support, love and encourage. Let this Christmas be one of smiles, hugs and peaceful hope. Happy Holidays.
Jim Dunn
Blessèd Blending
December 20, 2016