Christmas is about colored lights, decorated trees, and gift giving, but it’s also a time for deep reflection and sadness, for some.
While most people are celebrating Christmas with their
families, others might be alone and feeling miserable. It’s especially hard if
you just lost a loved one to be reminded of that loss.
I’m fortunate to still have my family, but our holiday
get-togethers now have changed. We used to have huge Christmas Eve gatherings
and exchange tons of presents. It was exciting and a little overwhelming. Now,
we have quieter get-togethers with less presents. We’re all older now and
pretty much have everything we need anyway, and it gets harder to decide what
to buy people, even ones you know well. That was a stressor for me every year
at Christmas.
The unfortunate part of our Christmas gatherings in recent
years is that they aren’t always happy occasions. Yelling at each other is a
new addition. Those sweet, innocent times are long gone now with the rise of lies
and fake posts spreading on social media and cable news, the latter of which
really isn’t news. Those so-called news channels are meant to anger people. And
the trolls on social media are intentionally trying to cause rage. It’s sad,
but a part of our lives now.
The good news is my husband and I have our own intimate
Christmas celebration and traditions that help me through this time of the year.
I think, no matter what, you need to find your happy place.
Hopefully, we as a nation can get past all of this anger,
and I hope my family can too.
Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, and Happy Winter Solstice to
everyone.
