This month of December is one that is filled with holiday reminders. There are in fact at least 9 different spiritual/religious holidays that are celebrated in this month alone. I celebrate Christmas. But what and how I celebrate has changed over the years.
I absolutely believe in Christ. And I love the Biblical stories surrounding the Christed child's birth. Yet I know that powerful men in both religious and political arenas have altered the dates, the stories and the circumstances to meet their own agendas. That's okay. Really, it doesn't require an exact date in order to find a way to celebrate and honor the Christ.
When I was a child, everything about preparing for Christmas was magical. I loved helping to put the Christmas tree up and see the lovely twinkly lights. I loved getting each ornament out and enjoying the stories about where they came from and how they came to be part of our family's tradition. I loved the taste of eggnog on Christmas Eve. I loved making candies and cookies and the smell of baking. I loved choosing or making presents for my family that I hoped would bring them happiness and joy. I loved the bright and shiny wrapping paper and the Christmas cards in the mail.But as I have grown up, some of the magic has gone. I don't live in a place where it gets very cold (which most of the time is a good thing) so there is no crisp air and barring a miracle (which I do believe in) it'd be a stretch to wake up to a white Christmas. I don't get as excited about the Christmas tree...who knew doing it almost entirely by one's self (my sweetie puts the actual tree up and the ornaments on the top layer I can't reach) might not bring as much joy as it used to--especially when you now have many ornaments. I don't bake as much--trying to be healthy and mindful of glutens and sugars you know.
There are times during the holiday season when I am melancholy. There are many people I loved who have passed away over the years and I miss very much. The weather makes it a challenge for me to feel festive--its been in the low 80s. And there are changes in my belief system that have eliminated much of the ritual aspects that I truly loved and felt lifted by. So, sometimes, meh.
But last night I combatted this melancholia a bit by taking some time to turn off all of the lights in the house except those on the Christmas tree. I sat back, as I used to as a child, and just allowed myself to enjoy the beauty of the twinkle lights and the shiny ornaments reflecting their light. I took some time to think about happy memories from my childhood--baking Potica with my mom, the "do not eat til Christmas" signs my sisters and I posted on the baked goods to try to preserve a few of them until "the day"--which became a running joke for my long suffering father, who as King of the household just had to taste test each treat (multiple times) before "the day."
My Grammy, who was so sweet and kind, who used to sit in the kitchen and chat with us while we made Christmas dinner. The long Christmas dinners full of jokes, stories, and good food. And remembering the church ceremonies I used to attend where I felt such wonder, such hope, such joy as we sang traditional hymns and I looked at the towering tree filled with white twinkle lights. In remembering I was able to recapture some of the enchantment of the season. I'm going to focus on this a little bit each day and really be mindful of what it means for the Christ to come to the people of the Earth. Lord knows, we need it now more than ever.
(c) 2021 SZing, Spiritual Creator. All Rights Reserved. All photographs courtesy Pixabay public domain images.
