Holidays

Ever wonder why all the holidays seem to culminate at the end of the year? Whoever decided to place all major religious and national holidays could have easily placed them in June or August, couldn’t they? I think that someone, somewhere realized that we needed a holiday season, an entire season. I know that people complain about the added errands, the extra costs, and the lack of time this time of year. But really, what is so bad about shopping and baking and making people and places sparkle and glow when the rest of the year we deal with life without the shimmer and good cheer.

We’ve been good all year, or at least we try, we deserve a few dozen cookies by now. By the time October rolls around, the doldrums of daily life put us in a haze that make the days go by. We are in need of a peppermint coated sugar high to help us to finish the year. We need to hear happy-go-lucky Christmas beats to fa-la-la-la us through the cold nights. We need the sparkle in the evergreens to remind us of joy. We need excuses to see our loved ones as much as possible for us to realize the beauty of life, accompanied by an appropriate amount holiday flavored cocktails of course.

We all realize that life goes on, that we will still feel sad and angry, worried and dull, but the cinnamon and people all around help to curb the pain and loneliness and stress of life. And it couldn’t come at a better time. Because by the end of the year, it seems that you’ve had more than your share of bad days, weeks, months. You can’t help but to characterize this year by all the hard times and frustrations and can’t wait to toast it away. Even though all the happenings of the previous year don’t really flow away with champagne on December 31st, the hope of a new beginning is nice.

Renewal. The sense that we can start fresh by choosing to do so, resolving ourselves to be better people and willing good things to ourselves and others. I think that’s the point of this season, all sixty to ninety days of it – hope, with undertones of faith and joy. From giving thanks to looking forward, we do it with good wishes and peace in mind. We do it to endure; someone knew we needed hope to endure.

May the remainder of the season lead you to hope for good things in the new year. With love.