I hate to admit it but I am suffering a huge case of the “bah humbug” these past few weeks. I have struggled to find the inspiration to decorate the property with all the festive touches that say “WELCOME!”. I have not sat down to make my Christmas list. I am simply uninspired! I can’t even tolerate Christmas music on the radio. Is it the lack of snow? Am I simply too tired from a long and busy season of hard work? I just don’t know. All I do know is that I have to get a handle on this or else I will truly earn the title of Grinch.
Last night, I was floating in my bubble bath at the end of a long day (actually 10 days of non-stop “eventing”) trying to soothe my weary bones. My bubble bath is my nightly indulgence when I let myself relax and read my magazines. I picked up my Chatelaine magazine (the French edition…I read it in the hope that it will help me retain at least a smidgen of my French!) and started to read an article about the same Christmas malaise. The author, a Quebecois comedian, had hit the nail on the head. He had lost his childhood innocence around this time of year.
It really made me stop and think for a moment. He was right! How many people echo the same notion that Christmas only became fun again once there were little children in the mix. We greedily drink up the wonder and enthusiasm of that little girl or boy when she sees Santa at the parade or sends off a wish list to the North Pole. They embody the wonder of the season and have the innocence to just believe…and the magic of Christmas happens!
Perhaps it’s time to ratchet back the adult madness a notch or two. Instead of working ourselves into a lather of gift buying, gorging ourselves as if famine looms around the corner and decorating our houses as if we were movie sets (and all the while dreading our credit card bills next month) we should just take a step back and breathe. How many of us truly need more of anything that we receive under the tree? Perhaps it’s time to take back our childhood innocence; to take a moment and just marvel at the beauty of our sparkling Christmas tree, of the warmth of the hug from someone we love, the coziness of sharing a story with someone …of simply being together surrounded by the love and security only family and friends can provide. Think back to your most wonderful Christmases and I would bet that what you will remember isn’t the gifts that you received but the wonderful way you felt.
So, I am going to try and suspend my disbelief for a moment and embrace the stories and lore around this season. We readily believe so many idiotic notions and fads why can’t their be elves feverishly manufacturing toys? Why can’t reindeer fly on one night of the year? Why can’t there be a shining star in the East heralding the news of the birth on an innocent babe? Why can’t I hear angel choirs? I am going to simply allow myself to be a child again and believe!
Merry Christmas everyone!