There are very few things that give me quite the dopamine rush as colored Christmas lights. The picture above instills a warmth in me that is almost overwhelming. I know that may sound odd to some, and I honestly can’t pinpoint why it makes me feel this way, but it’s a lifelong sight that has always come with tremendous joy.
This time of year has a similar effect on so many of us. The sights, the sounds, the smells, all bring forth the age-old song lyric… “In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas.” That’s right, it’s time to bring down those boxes from the attic, untangle the mile-long knot of Christmas lights, hang the stockings, and put up the tree. It’s time to get those wishlists from the kids, bake and decorate the Christmas cookies, and turn that Christmas music up! Most of all, it’s time to give, to love, and to be happy.
“Wait a minute… what was that last part again?”
The part about giving, loving, and being happy?
“Yeah, that part. What’s that all about?”
Each and every year, Christmas brings along with it the collective spirit of good tidings and generosity. We give gifts, we donate to charitable causes so that families in need can experience a good Christmas, and we find ourselves in a heightened mood that offers smiles and grateful nods towards complete strangers, both in our communities and abroad. With Thanksgiving in our most recent memories, we remain grateful for all that we have and those that we love the most. Sure, there’s those reports of stampedes at the black Friday sales as some choose to take the corporate side of the holiday a bit too seriously. The media thrives on this and they’ll take every chance to diminish the Christmas Spirit. Well, they can take a long walk off of a short pier for all I’m concerned. To me, it’s still a magical time and it’s a season that I have always cherished and always will.
Call me a bit too optimistic, a bit too blinded by my excitement, call me what you will… It won’t change me. You all know by now that I am obsessed with the positivity that comes with a community that works together and serves a common purpose, and Christmas magnifies this spirit ten fold. There’s just something about it. It’s like jingle bells have magic fairy dust in them that causes everyone to smile and be in good cheer. Yes, there are some that could care less about this time of year, and I respect their outlook on it as it is their choice. Whether it be their religion, a traumatic event associated with the holiday, or just being downright cynical towards it all… to each their own. However, Christmas has a profound effect on the majority of the world, and it has always been an awe inspiring sight to me.
As magical of a time as this can be, something happens soon after Christmas Day is upon us. The gifts have been exchanged, the family get togethers have come and gone, and the leftover turkey fills the fridge. That excitement, that overwhelming feeling of joy in anticipation of the most coveted day of the year, starts to dwindle a bit. The lights are still up, the countless empty boxes from all of the gifts still sit at the curb, and the marathons of Christmas movies still occupy the airwaves on most every channel, yet that spirit starts to fade. For some, the financial reality starts to creep back in as they tally the costs that indeed come with Christmas. For others, the ticking clock of their time off from work beckons as the return comes closer with each and every tick. For most of us, the overall reality of daily life just seems to start muscling its way back into our prevalent thoughts. As if we were all just on the biggest high from a powerful drug, it’s starting to wear off as we come crashing back down.
Why is this? I’ve always questioned this, even as it happens to me each year. After all, I may be the eternal optimist, but I’m not immune to it, at least not yet.
This year has brought with it the start of a major transformation within myself. As I remain intent on unpacking all that makes up the person that I am today, I’ve developed the desire to do so for and with humanity in general. I want to know why we do what we do. I want to know where the pitfalls lie in the hope that I can contribute my part, however big or small it may be, to lifting all of us up out of the darkness and into an existence of light and understanding.
It has long been reported that the weeks and months that follow the Christmas holiday contain some of the highest numbers of cases regarding depression and suicide. Talk about a come down, huh? We’ve all felt it, that depressed feeling that’s usually associated with the thought of “What’s there to look forward to now?. What’s that last grab that we all do after Christmas? That one last thing to look forward to… New Year’s, right? Don’t lie, we all do it. It’s that last dose of excitement as we plan our New Year’s Eve events, typically spent with family and friends. It comes, and it’s usually an epic time. The clock strikes midnight, you kiss your one true love, and you welcome in the New Year. A nice clean slate with the chance to start anew. Feels good, doesn’t it? It’s another one of my favorite times of the year. We close the chapter of the previous year, toast the champagne, and dance into the night.
The following morning, or afternoon, depending on how much you celebrated the night before, is brutal, and I’m not talking about the hangover. New Year’s Day comes with that slap right to the face that snaps us all out of whatever holiday mood we were in and welcomes us all back to reality. Back to work. Back to gunning for position on the freeway during our commute, on our jobs as we advance our career, and in daily life across the board. Long gone are those kind smiles as you insist the person that met you at the register goes first. Our generosity is replaced with a rabid thirst to recoup our expenses as our wallets feel quite a bit lighter than they were on the morning of black Friday, before we hit the sales. We’ve fallen right back into our routines that center around ourselves and our agendas. We mow right over anyone and anything that we would have gone out of our way to take the time for just a few short weeks ago. My oh my, how quickly things change.
Of course, there are those that don’t experience all of this and I congratulate them as they have figured this out long before I have, and I am sincere when I say that. However, I plan on joining that club one day and I look forward to the inauguration. This year’s personal reflection has me determined to be present in these thoughts and emotions as they happen in real time. I want to truly understand why such an infectious spirit of kindness and generosity can disappear with the turning of a calendar page.
For those of you who are reading this with the anticipation of any type of answer, I’ll go ahead and disappoint you now. I don’t have any answers. What I do have is presence and the wherewithal to take this challenge on as I seek even a glimpse of the answer to such a perplexing phenomena.
With presence as my guide in these moments, I’ll tell you what else I’m going to do…
I’m going to start taking stock of my life on a daily basis. After all, the gratitude I have in my life is there on the most random of days, just as it is on December 25th. There’s absolutely no reason for me to lose sight of this, no matter the hardship of a given day or event.
I’m going to continue to deepen my roots in my local community, and in the community abroad that I am honored to be a part of via this weekly newsletter. The strength of a community must remain as an unbreakable chain, 365 days a year. We must be there for each other and for the purposes greater than ourselves, no matter what we may be going through personally. When we start to fall, it’s okay. Our community will reciprocate that support and pick us back up. Just as the roots of a tree need good, rich soil, so do those of a community.
Last, and perhaps most importantly, I’m going to act. In addition to my words, actions will follow. I will practice the words that I preach with the relentless intention to set examples of what is possible when you look inside yourself, shift your mindset, and elevate yourself to the highest version imaginable. I will not be perfect in any way, shape, or form. I will stumble, and I will fall, but I will get back up through the support of my community and rise to every occasion as I give my all to a cause that is worth every fiber of my being.
Remember, I am not the one setting the standard. There have been many before me that have contributed to my awakening. I just aim to contribute to your awakening as we add another link to the chain. Together, with guidance from the divine, we can serve the greatest purpose of them all as we re-establish and embrace our lives, every single day of the year. Through the darkest forests and on the fairest seas, we will remain the constant.
So please, enjoy this time of year. Have fun with family and friends, and take it all in. Just don’t hold it as a crutch. A beautiful life awaits you come January 2nd and each day forward. And without fail, Christmas will be back next year, I promise ;).