As Christmas approaches, I haven’t seen or heard much stressing about having so much to do and so little time. Yes, it’s been a busy term with lots of things going on, and the big day is looming, but it seems people around me are embracing the Christmas spirit and all it stands for, rather than fighting against it.
It’s understandable that with all that has unfolded this year, there’s so much uncertainty in the air. Terrible things have happened, and are currently happening, in the world, events that seem out of our control. The one constant, the thing we can all do, and we know well, is Christmas.
You only had to look around at the end of November and already people were putting up their Christmas lights, and do they seem to have gone the extra mile with the decorations this year? I think they have. We’ve gone a bit ‘blingy’ at our house too. There are lights flashing everywhere. It puts a smile on our faces and reminds us there’s something to look forward to.
My eldest daughter pointed out that lights symbolise more than just being over-the-top and flashy. It’s about bringing joy and happiness in to our lives, so why not embrace that? Not wanting to quote Cliff Richard, but Christmas really is a time for giving and forgiving, a time for peace and for the hating and fighting to cease (if only that could be the case). Sorry if that song is in your head now, and if you don’t know what I mean, don’t ask. The thing is, if ever there was a year to truly embrace the Christmas spirit, it’s this one.
Some of my friends had to say goodbye to a close friend of theirs yesterday and my heart broke for them. How you can comprehend someone so young being taken so cruelly from this world is beyond me and I can’t stop thinking about how her four children and husband must feel as they struggle to cope with and comprehend their loss.
Then I see the news reporting about Aleppo and I think how terrible it is that people are trapped and in such constant fear for their lives. There are some amazing brave people trying to help them, whilst the rest of the world looks on and the situation seems never-ending and hopeless. It makes me thankful, in so many ways, privileged in others.
I think Christmas is a fitting time of year to give thanks for what we have, rather than what we don’t, wouldn’t you agree?
I know, I’m thankful for my health and that of my family’s, our lovely home and having an income that sustains us. I’m grateful for my network of extended family and friends and for the supportive community of writers and bloggers I regularly connect with, who share the same sentiments, worries and fears. I have three children growing both physically and emotionally by the day and who constantly make me proud and I’m thankful that everyday I get to hug them and tell them that.
Go and give your husband/wife/partner and children/dog/cat, or anything else you cherish dearly a hug and be thankful that you can do so, freely and without fear. Look after yourselves this Christmas and enjoy being with family and friends.
I hope you find joy from the giving and receiving of gifts this year, from being with the people you love and care about and that the light from the decorations that surround you equals the light in your hearts.
Photo credit: Roy Chan/Flickr
Beautiful post, Nikki, and so true. I’m certainly looking forward to Christmas as a time when we can all spend time with loved ones and be grateful for what we do have. Wishing you all the best for Christmas and 2017 (got to be better than 2016, surely!).