‘Tis the Season for Reflecting on the Upcoming and Hectic Holidays!
The holiday season doesn’t start for a few more weeks, but now is the time when anxiety about the holidays can begin to occupy our thoughts. Indeed, many stores have already begun displaying the Christmas merchandise which can call out to us while shopping for daily necessities.
Before we launch into the hectic time of preparing, planning, baking, cleaning, decorating, celebrating, community events, children’s concerts, and, yes, shopping maybe now ’tis the Season for some serious reflection and reassessment. What are we doing and why?
Why is Christmas important? For some, the answer is the birth of Jesus. So, what is it we are celebrating when we celebrate the birth of Jesus? Jesus was very much about love and loving one’s neighbour. How do our celebrations reflect love for one another? In what ways are we recommitting to loving one another in the coming weeks?
Others may say that Christmas is all about gifts. What kind of expectations do we have when it comes to exchanging gifts? Through our own actions and traditions, what are we teaching our children about gift giving and receiving, about love and loving one’s neighbour? Many people go into debt, spending huge sums of money on what they believe needs to be under a Christmas tree. Others have grown up with the idea that unless there are a lot of “things” under the tree, Christmas hasn’t been good. Yet, how many gifts get re-gifted or returned after Christmas? How many are enjoyed briefly and then left behind for something else which catches the eye? Are there “gifts” that are more valuable than “stuff”, gifts that, ironically, money can’t buy?
Still others would say that Christmas is about the meals we share. Sharing a meal with family and friends is wonderful indeed. But how is the work of preparing the meal and cleaning up afterward shared amongst those present? Is one person tasked to do it all? Every year? Does everyone chip in, bringing various favorite dishes for all to enjoy, as well as helping with the clean-up? In what ways do we reach out to ensure that those who have difficulty putting a meal on the table are also able to enjoy a special meal?
There are many ways in which we can reach out and contribute to various causes during the upcoming weeks before Christmas – food banks, special dinners, turkey drives and gift collections are all examples. These are all part of the way in which we share love, and support our community. But have we ever stopped to wonder why there is such a need in our community in the first place – and what can be done to correct it? Are we actively working toward a day when there will no longer be a need for special campaigns before Christmas, when food banks and food boxes will no longer be necessary?
Showing love for our neighbour includes acknowledging that Christmas is not a religious event for all in our community. In regard to those who adhere to different faith traditions, have we taken the time to learn about their special days of celebration?
So, before you get too engrossed with the busy and demanding activities of the weeks ahead, perhaps take a few minutes and think about some of these questions, about what you are doing – and why you are doing it. And if you should encounter crowds in the stores, remember to show respect for those working extra hard as they serve you. ‘Tis the Season’ for thinking anew, so that we can indeed live the love that is the heart of the Christmas story.