Christmas Spirit

I like many people I think spend a lot of time putting things off for another day. This year I had put off getting in touch with many of the people I love because I have been ‘too busy’ trying to get my new working for myself status off the ground. Today being Christmas I decided to give them all a call and wish them a festive holiday day with their families and friends. As I phoned round each person and left messages on their voicemail thinking they are probably enjoying the delights of an over indulgent Christmas dinner I began to think to myself about my own family who live far away.

I haven’t spent a Christmas with my own family for a good few years now and this year I missed them more than usual. It got me thinking about the run up to Christmas all the frenzied buying and worrying about the new year. News stories covered in gloom and cynical witticisms, it didn’t really leave me or many of us I suppose with much time to really think about what it is we are supposed to be celebrating. Bombarded by panicking shopkeepers who need the biggest shop of the year to stay afloat and employers who want to get as much done as possible before all the work stops for christmas where is the time to breathe and reflect on what we have to be grateful for. In amongst all the rushing around trying to find just the right brand of toy or game for the kids where do we have the chance to just take in the moments that we have with our families these ever fleeting moments. Time, the ting we seem to have less and less of not just in our lives but also in our daily routines.

More and more we are expected to commit more to our jobs our studies, our online interactions. It is easy to forget that the real moments of significance, the truly powerful moments in our lives are the ones where we engage with each other in person. It takes courage and strength of character to drop our bullshit and be honest real human beings with each other, to stand up and say this is me warts and all and I’m ok to be here with you just as you are. So my Christmas wish for you is that today you can forget about the perfect Christmas and just be here today in that house, room, flat with the people you have chosen to be with. Let them make you laugh, let them drive you crazy, let them piss you off and still be there and love them anyway cause you’ll never get to do this Christmas again.