The Christmas Spirit

I am, sadly, no longer a child.
I don't look forward to receiving gifts.
I don't even have a secret wish lists of things I'd desperately love to see my with my name on them under the tree.
I am not a spiritual or religious person.
In fact, I'm nearly certain I don't believe in a higher power.
And I don't believe in Santa Claus (at least not as a physical being).

So much negativity right? Actually its just the opposite. It does seem on paper that I'd be the type to write-off Christmas as an overblown Hallmark holiday, but of course if you knew me you'd know that's not true at all.

December is the month that makes all other months worth getting through. January through November mean work, commuting, chores, sickness, death, frustration-- and of course there is a lot of good along the way-- but as we get older it seems easy to get caught up in all of the negativity that makes each passing day just a little more difficult. And in the back of my head and deep in my heart I know there's one whole month where the world is transformed.

"All the lights and decorations, put up in anticipation of the joyous celebration that's on its way. We're counting the days til its time for Christmas day" - a line from probably my only favorite Celine Dion song.

Everything is prettier at Christmas time.
Wreaths, lights,
trees, ornaments and decorations that have been touched,
treasured and loved by generations gone by...
homes, streets, stores, parks, businesses
all dressed up and ready to party.

And of course this is the time of year we're most likely to get our first snow. A beautiful, clean coat of shimmery goodness to cover all that is dirty, disheveled and in need of repair.

I look forward to Christmas music. The classics which was just magic for the ears. Voices that just make me sigh with comfort and bring me back to a simpler time when life didn't revolve around computers, smart phones and master's degrees. Silly songs that we'd sing in the car as kids. Old Carpenters songs and Kenny & Dolly that we'd listen to while we decorated the tree...

But for me it is the intangible quality of Christmas spirit that is so intoxicating. Celebration of family and friends, appreciation for the good in the world, giving to others. Hope.

Take a peek at this video. Cheesy? Perhaps. But listen to the message...

I believe in Santa Claus. I believe there's always hope when all seems lost
I believe in Santa Claus, I'll tell you why I do
'Cause I believe that dreams and plans and wishes can come true
I believe in miracles, I believe in magic too
Oh I believe in Santa Claus and I believe in you




And courtesy of Josh Groban's outstanding voice, another of my can't-live-without- holiday songs:


Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

I know for many it can be easy to get caught up in the never-ending shopping and to-do lists we impose upon ourselves... but this year even more than ever before I feel like I am doing Christmas in a way that feels more true to myself. I started this fall by making a list of items I could hand make for the people I love. I've spent train commutes and international travel knitting a little bit of my joyous energy into items that I believe will be well suited for those who will receive them.

I've made lists but stress is not a bi-product of my notekeeping this year. As I come up with ideas and jot them down, I think so much about each of my loved ones and the many reasons I am so happy to have them in my life (a feeling that's definitely not a bi-product of mall shopping). I think about all the gifts that are exchanged each year, gifts that are unnecessary clutter bugs... and thankful to be contributing something more to my loved ones lives.

And so another holiday season is rushing past, but for once I feel like I've paused (on many occassions actually) to be fully present in it- the way I did as a child. No, I don't have the leisure time I did as a kid, but 45 minutes of listening to my "Christmas Favs" list on my ipod while daydreaming about new ideas for handmade adventures, or just sitting quietly and really listening to the words of my favorite songs gives me that part of Christmas back into my adult life.

Christmas is not a time nor a season,
but a state of mind.
To cherish peace and goodwill,
to be plenteous in mercy,
is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

~Calvin Coolidge

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

{I can't bear the thought of all the wasted paper that comes with Christmas cards, so please consider this my holiday greeting to you}