It was a fairly innocent question…
I asked anyone reading this to please tell me what made Christmas, well…Christmas.
Says I to Me (I have these kind of conversations with myself quite a bit), that should be an easy question to answer…
But I had asked this question with no real thought about my own answer. Ever since I posed it, I have been thinking and thinking…what EXACTLY sets this time apart from the rest of the year and what absolutes would have to be in place for it to properly feel like a true Christmas?
And then some of you wrote in and I discussed it with others and I looked up things on-line (because that’s also something I do quite a bit!), in a concerted attempt to define Christmas.
I should have known what the answer would be. After all it’s the answer to everything!
LOVE.
Anything that breaks our hearts open to accept and allow, to feel compassion for our fellow-beings, to say yes to life and all its complexities, to instill a sense of wonder, awe and to just briefly suspend our jaded day-to-day disbelief in miracles…that is love and that is Christmas.
Whatever it is for you; whether it’s the miracle of the Baby Jesus, or the Miracle on 34th Street, or if it’s watching a child’s wide-eyed wonder at the sparkly tree or your own inner child rejoicing at a child’s choir…it all adds up to love.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres...
That, my friends, is all that Christmas brings to us. It is our one last chance at the end of each year, when the days are short and the darkness threatens to prevail, to light a candle and shine our love by doing something genuine and good for ourselves and each other.
So, thank you all for participating, whether in your hearts and minds, in conversation with me or each other, or directly online. As a result of all this, I just might have my best Christmas ever. Let’s all remember to be kind and let our lights shine!
Without further ado – the winner of the Homes for the Holidays Kids Help Phone ticket is none other than…puh puh pa pum, me and my drum!
Jane Ince! Congratulations & Merry Christmas.
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Yes, Love and not only at Christmas as without love we do not exist. We are utterly insignificant on this planet, what makes us human is love.
I remember reading “The Little Prince” by Antoince de Saint Exupery. A strange and lovely parable in which the author writes about love and responsibility (which goes hand in hand).
The book has only 90 pages but it’s a classic. Perhaps, if you want, we could discuss this one as well.
The Little Prince! That’s such a wonderful book.
I had heard of it for years and finally bought a beautifully-illustrated copy in France (in English). I gave it to my great-nephew who speaks and loves all things French 🙂
I read it a few times before I gave it to him. What a lyrical and profound book…so deceptively simple and full of large truths. I’m so glad you know it too.