December 2009 Archives

...and all through the town there is a sense of anticipation. You can see it in the faces, hear it in the music, and feel it in the hustle and bustle on the streets and in the stores. Watching people and listening to their chatter, it becomes clear that even though this is an annual holiday celebrated throughout the world, it means many different things to different people.

Some are preparing for a religious holiday; others for a purely secular celebration. Some are caught up with thoughts of time with family and friends, some with the giving and getting of gifts. Within the people of all these groups, can be seen joy, depression and everything in between. This time of year is laden with expectations - our own and those of others. Songs, cards, movies, and advertisements all contribute to these expectations, a large percentage of which are totally unrealistic.

We do not live in a "Father Knows Best" kind of world where everything ends with a happy resolution. Aunt Ethel doesn't suddenly change from a cranky, chronic complainer into a smiling, comforting presence when the decorations go up. Sibling rivalry doesn't suddenly dissolve when the Christmas lights go on. And, though I am a firm believer that miracles happen all the time, I don't think they are wrought by Santa and the elves.

This season is what we make it - spiritual or material, sad or happy, full or empty, shared or lonely. Some of us have to make more of an effort than others. Hard as it may be, those who are lonely need to reach out rather than waiting for others to read their minds. Those who are able to give need to offer without waiting to be asked. Those who seek perfection need to let go and accept the flaws and idiosyncrasies that go with being human.

Most of us just want those warm inner feelings of loving and being loved; of being part of a happy experience; of feeling the joy and satisfaction that are portrayed as an integral part of the Christmas season. But, often as the song says, we are looking in all the wrong places.

Perhaps focusing on the purpose of our celebration, whatever that may be, will bring us what we are seeking. For those celebrating the birth of Christ, centering preparations on the coming of Jesus into our lives, brings a sense of joy that no material gift can equal. For those celebrating a time of family togetherness, concentrating on unconditional acceptance of each other brings comfort and an easy camaraderie that criticism and efforts to control will never achieve.

Rarely will an anticipated event equal the expectations leading up to it. And the more exaggerated the expectations, the bigger the disappointment. So for the Christmas season of 2009 I wish you and yours the flexibility to go with the flow, the warmth of family and friends to accompany you through the days and evenings, and most of all, a sense of fulfillment in your purpose for celebrating.