Merry Christmas
My Mom asked me earlier if I still felt any Christmas spirit, if I still liked Christmas as much as I did when I was a kid. She said that since we moved out, she just doesn't feel it like she used to. Surprisingly, I do. Even though I live far away and my family is small, I still love Christmas. I got a tree right after Thanksgiving and I have my own stand and lights and ornaments and decorations that I put up. I love getting gifts for people and I do like receiving gifts as well. But it really is the thought that counts when it comes down to it. Although I haven't been religious for a long time now I really do believe that deep down we are good and that there is such a thing as peace on earth and goodwill towards fellow humans. I believe in forgiveness, redemption, hope and love. And although these are fundamentally linked to the Christian concept of Christmas, I still embrace them. And this is a very conflicted thing for me because sometimes its difficult to reconcile these concepts with their link to Christmas and Christianity and I've spent a lot of time over the years pondering what this all means. And although these things do have their place in a judeo-christian lexicon, the Christmas as we know it came to be during the nineteenth century and was derived from predominantly pagan origins. So in a way, Christmas itself is a hypocrite. But if Christmas is a hypocrite then I'm a hypocrite too because I like and celebrate Christmas.
Sometimes it made me sad to come home and find that the kids hadn't even bothered to turn on the lights on the tree which I find so beautiful and soothing but I know that not everyone shares my Christmas joy. And even though we've dramatically ramped down on the gifts in my immediate family, I still delight in picking little things out that I know people will love and appreciate and watching their faces as they open them.
So to everyone out there who celebrates, Merry Christmas. And to those of you who don't, I still send my love and good wishes out to you. Because in the end, that's what its about, reminding ourselves that we can love each other and accept each other, and ourselves, for who we are and know that by being good people, that our actions can make the world a better place. And what better time for me to remind myself of this than Christmas. So peace on earth and may you all feel the goodwill I feel towards you!
Sometimes it made me sad to come home and find that the kids hadn't even bothered to turn on the lights on the tree which I find so beautiful and soothing but I know that not everyone shares my Christmas joy. And even though we've dramatically ramped down on the gifts in my immediate family, I still delight in picking little things out that I know people will love and appreciate and watching their faces as they open them.
So to everyone out there who celebrates, Merry Christmas. And to those of you who don't, I still send my love and good wishes out to you. Because in the end, that's what its about, reminding ourselves that we can love each other and accept each other, and ourselves, for who we are and know that by being good people, that our actions can make the world a better place. And what better time for me to remind myself of this than Christmas. So peace on earth and may you all feel the goodwill I feel towards you!