It's Time to Enjoy Christmas!
Are you ready for Christmas to arrive in a few days? If your past few months have been anything like they have been for me, you have many items on your To-Do List that have no chance of getting done. We’ve had the best of intentions, you and I, but somehow we ran out of time, money, and/or energy. We can’t finish everything we intended. Is Christmas ruined?!?
No, far from it. But the key to making a magical Christmas is in letting go of whatever remains uncompleted and instead focusing on the true meaning of the season. For you that might be the birth of Jesus or being with your family or enjoying the best cup of egg nog money can buy. What is at the core of the holiday for you? Find that and let go of the rest.
This year I revisited the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and I discovered anew its powerful message:
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
This is not a new message. It’s not one that surprised me. I’ve heard this message many times. I imagine that, like me, many of you grew up watching, hearing or even reading the story of the Grinch yourself. Despite how many times we’ve heard this, in the hustle and bustle (and amidst the incessant ads to get us to part with our money!), we often forget what the Grinch is trying to teach us.
Although the Grinch’s quote implies that commercialization of the holiday is at the root of this happiness problem, I think the issue goes even deeper than that. It’s not just that we feel we need to buy the “right” gifts but also that we feel we must spend Christmas with the “right” people at the “right” time and in exactly the “right” way. When it doesn’t happen the way it showed up in our head, we can be tricked, like the Grinch, into thinking that Christmas won’t come at all.
Finish up those last couple of errands if you must, but then… LET IT GO.
Stop focusing on what didn’t get done and start focusing on having fun, on loving others, and on spreading Christmas joy.
“But, but, but…” What if that voice telling you to do just one more thing is very loud?
Take a moment to go inward. Find a quiet place within yourself where there are no expectations. Listen to the voices that are telling you what’s “wrong” with Christmas this year and then let those voices drift into the faraway clouds, never to be heard from again.
Now focus on the true meaning of Christmas for you. If it’s Jesus’ birth, then thank him for coming to earth. If it’s family, then focus on loving your family. If it’s that cup of eggnog, then find the best one you can and be present in the moment as you sip it mindfully.
Whatever Christmas means to you, find the love, joy, and peace that comes with that meaning. Christmas is an opportunity — you could call it an excuse — to allow ourselves to find happiness in our own way. Give yourself permission to let go of expectations so you can enjoy the Christmas season and experience all of the love, joy, and peace that your heart can hold.
Merry Christmas, my friends!