How would you be different if the spirit of this season lasted all year long?
Not the commercialization or the excesses or the outward trappings. Not more cookies or trips to the mall. Instead, think about what would happen if, every day of the coming year, you lived the spirit of this holiday by:
- Making merry, laughing and playing with gusto.
- Honoring those that you love with your presence.
- Giving generously of your time and treasures.
- Finding the light in the darkest of times.
- Surrendering yourself to wonder – to birth, to hope, to stars, to great things born in humble beginnings.
And what might happen if in our world we carried the spirit of the holiday forward daily by:
- Celebrating the acts of generosity that occur every day in the news and on social media….noting and affirming the good that happens rather than the acts of hate, murder, mayhem and sensationalism.
- Working as hard to create peace as we do to wage war – for peace takes time and energy and resources. It is an active state that requires tending; not just the absence of conflict.
- Reaching out to those less fortunate and find ways to help them, to lift them up, to share our bounty.
- Heeding the song of the angels who proclaimed “Goodwill to Man”. Not just those who look like us, practice our religion, live in our part of the word… but good will to all men (and women).
If we can do these things for twelve days, surely we can strive to do them for twelve months. Not perfectly, but with intention. For by striving for love, we can lessen hate. By focusing on peace, we can diminish war. By finding the light, we can navigate the dark. By healing ourselves, we can begin to heal the world. By giving we also receive.
So, as you pause, cease your paid labor, gather with friends and family, take a moment to reflect on the messages that this time of year brings, and determine what parts of this holiday you’ll carry forward. You can be a light in the darkness, you can bring hope to those in despair, and by caring for others you’ll find you’ve cared for yourself.
I send gladness and joy to each of you – for a holiday season, and perhaps a lifetime, filled with light, generosity, hope, transformation and peace. Blessings to all!
~Kris
