Christmas is that one time each year when we collectively open the box and look inside. What are we expecting? It's a marker in time that prompts evaluation of our lives. What's in that box? It's a celebration that tempts us to compare. How have our lives changed and evolved? Are we welcoming new family members? Finding new meaning in the season? Are we coping with loss or difficult change? In the beginning there was the myth of Christmas magic and what have we now? The coming and going of Christmas day stays constant but events and expectations in our lives change.
Holiday music, like "I'll be home for Christmas," encourages us to reflect nostalgically and focuses us on idealized family. For some, the Christmas box will seem full of love and hope for the future. Other boxes won't meet our expectations. Some of us will enjoy reflection during this holiday and others may slide into Christmas Blues. Are you blue? I like the advice in Shari Stritof's blog on how to handle holidays after a loss. Check her out. You might also be interested in Everydayhealth.com's ideas for coping with holiday depression.
Maybe you know a "Bah, humbug!"? Charles Dickens' 1843 novel, "A Christmas Carol," still resonates with us today in its themes of greed, disregard for the less fortunate, and our subconscious urgings to be generous of spirit and giving during the holiday. Dickens' tale dramatizes Scrooge's gaze into the "box" and leads us on a ghostly evaluation of his life trajectory. Today, over a 150 years later, the concept of reflecting on our lives and values at Christmastime is still a strong tradition.
What are you expecting this year? Have you taken time to consider what's in your box? Are you measuring the distance between today's tinsel and yesterday's sugar cookies? If so, your perceptions and conclusions may become the foundation for New Year's resolutions. Whether you believe in magic or not would you agree that Christmas holds a special power throughout our lives? Depending on how we use that power it can help us to re-evaluate our priorities, transcend expectations and open our hearts. Merry Christmas, readers. May your season be warm and loving and may your boxes contain joy and peace.
