It’s Christmas. It’s the one day a year we give in to sentimental memory, awesome faith and the belief that there really is peace on earth. Somewhere. Some day. Even today – every day – if we would make it so.
Sure we get caught up in the retail rush and frantic scheduling, but there’s no denying that in part we do the crazy stuff for the few precious moments of peace and love we always hope to find at Christmas.
At its essence, Christmas gives us an understanding, even if for just a few moments, that when we genuinely love and hold one another in our hearts, simply saying so is far more eloquent than any other gift that we could give or receive.
This is why we love that cranky old Scrooge who embodies our hateful, shattered world, but in one night is made whole by realization, repentance and love.
All any of us really want for Christmas, after all, is to love and know we are loved, and to imagine a world that lives up to the purity of love and good will – a world that accepts Santas of any color, a world that understands the faith we harbor in our hearts is neither superior nor inferior, a world that is accepting and heedful of the needy and refugees. After all, even the child we celebrate and revere at Christmas was once a refugee himself.
Just as it is our choice what we buy or reject in those brightly lit stores with jingle bell songs, so is it our freedom and choice what faith we choose, what Christmas tradition we observe and how we share it.
That’s why Christmas is so very special. For Christians, it began and still begins with that baby Jesus, but over the years it has become more than our imaginings, prophets and saviors.
Christmas is about a spirit – a feeling of oneness and reverence; a time of family, friends, laughter and good food; an opportunity to reflect, find redemption, worship, seek solace, love and feel loved.
Christmas is what we make it, based on our beliefs and based on our hearts. It is a promise we can make with ourselves for today and tomorrow and a new day after that. It is less about the gifts we receive and more about the ones we give from our hearts – the giving of moments, love, kindness, respect.
No matter our religions, our religious holidays make homage to a common humanity and maker. And they help us understand that although the world is complicated, it also is simple. We all have the profound essence of faith, the power of prayer and the values of peace and goodwill.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, Good Cheer .