Given the year we’ve had I don’t know too many of us not looking forward to the year-end holidays. It feels like a time to let go of what has weighed us down all year if even for just a little while. We crave rest, good comforting special food and time with loved ones. We want bright twinkling lights and celebrations both large and small marking the end of a big eventful year with so much violence, pain and struggle. We also want quiet moments of prayer and dreaming of how we can make the new year better than this one.
Like all of 2020, the year end holidays will be different this year. We may even choose to have our holidays be different intentionally out of our own needs for it. Regardless of how we choose to celebrate this holiday season it is needed by all of us to simply lay down our worry, rest our weary bodies and minds and take in the glory of this season. It seems indeed divine perfect timing after a year of chaos and violence we find ourselves at the most beautiful season of the year that is tied to celebrations, generosity and kindness. In a year where there clearly has not been enough of any of those things I am all for making the most it this time of year.
It is a season of hope, miracles, and connection that only the holidays can give us. Even if you are one who doesn’t like the holidays or gets into the spirit of it easily our hearts always awaken to what this season means. That feeling is uplifting and happy spreading through our entire being. We try to hold onto this feeling for as long as possible against the pull of reality and things that dampen that feeling. Some call this feeling joy but I prefer to think of it as holiday magic, specifically Christmas magic. It sparkles, shines and glows until I give into it and let it consume me with this feeling that allows me to also shine with a smile on my face and sparkle in my eye.
I think holiday shine is a real thing that ties us back to nature itself. In her sleepy slumber of winter when nights are long and cold there is sparkling snow, stars and more that tell us there is still good in the world. Against the dark there is light and light means hope. While it may be small when there are lots and lots of them together a larger glow forms. That relates to our own being where by own sparkle and joy of this season we can help others also find their own light and way in joining us for this season. It connects us all until we are experiencing it and putting aside the darkness that was around us. I can think of no better time of need for this than this year!
So much of the holidays I think get missed because we get busy with taking of details, going through traditions and doing what we’ve always done. Yet if 2020 has a silver lining I believe it is the invitation to do things differently and shine brighter in a new way. While we may miss the parties, get togethers and gatherings I don’t believe that needs to take away from the beauty of this season. For me the real experience of it all has always come from those quiet moments when I’m able to tune out all that’s going on around me and just be in the moment. Getting comfortable in the silence and feeling the power of it is where we hear nature speak and our heart open to the magic that’s around us. I think this is in large part to our stillness so we can recognize in just a moment what is truly special about life.
Having a shiny holiday isn’t about the party dress but rather what’s in our hearts. It is the charity we give freely and happily once we feel the power of the season. That is a sensation unlike any other I’ve had. We appreciate all that we have and we see the simplistic beauty of what is around us. This is where things like handmade gifts turn into bigger deals than electronic noisy gadgets. This is where a meal shared becomes the grandest feast ever. This is where we connect on a human level to each other in a way that should be an every day occurrence but that sadly gets blocked out more often than not.
The shine of this year’s holidays is about healing. It is the hand outstretched in helping another up, of sharing and coming together. That shine is so much more brighter than any tradition and yet it is very much traditional. The act of being a decent human, sharing and serving one another is the premise of tradition. It is what started our own family traditions. Those traditions may need to be updated but before we toss them to the side as useless we need to look at them with fresh eyes. We need to look underneath the practices of these traditions and see if there is still this beauty of sharing, coming together, healing and connecting still possible. We may also need to update them to expand it. Sometimes what’s old can truly be new again with just a few small changes and a fresh coat of love.
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