Holiday Spirit
As the Christmas holiday quickly approaches, thoughts will be turning to happiness, love and family.
Before we actually get around to celebrating Christmas, we must first navigate the weeks leading up to the 25th and all of the hype and sales as well.
When I was younger, the Christmas season did not really properly start until the day after Thanksgiving.
Back then it was an exciting month for a kid, especially a kid who had visions of being off of school and presents.
However, what I took for granted when I was young began to disappear around the age of ten or so.
Around that time my mom was diagnosed with the disease that would take her life nine years later.
And that brings me to the point of this column.
I want you to appreciate Christmas if you are lucky enough to have presents, family and friends.
In case, like me, you are lonely and at times feel left out in the cold on the holidays, remember the true meaning of the day.
What is the true meaning of Christmas?
If we remove the cliche TV movie static and focus on spirit rather then religion, then what remains is purely the holidays.
Love rather then hate, feeling in tune with the world around us and really giving thought to how much each of us can do to improve mankind. This does not have to be something that is hard to do, and it is something that should not only be done at this time of year.
Basically, I want to encourage people to treasure what they have and to look out for those that might have considerably less then them. I should almost come naturally if we try, as the holiday conjures up words such as “peace”, “joy” and “merry.”
This would seem to be a simple task, but the world has placed a lot of commercialism on Christmas and in the process Christmas Day becomes an event where baubles and presents and the like are placed ahead of values and looking out for your fellow man.
Just ask Charles Dickens about it, I believe he wrote some sort of story about the merits of the spirit of Christmas…I think there is even a version with a talking Scottish duck.
On a personal note, I hope there is one person like me reading this, one person who has spent way too many Christmases alone or at work, watching others carry on and be merry.
The reason I hope that there is one person like that reading this column is that I want to tell them that it is possible to find balance with the holidays even when you are down. Just focus on the good that comes from it and try and find ways to honor the holidays that are all your own.
Recently I found myself in a very bad patch where my whole life got tossed like a Caesar’s salad and still this will be my most peaceful Christmas yet, a testament to how much we can grow if only we try.
Happy Holidays to each and every one of you and I wish us all the best as well in the new year!
