Christmas Time

Heavens, here we are at the doorstep of another Christmas-that magical time that brings us together singing ‘peace on earth good will to all’. It seems that we wait all year for it-counting down days and months and minutes and watching the world around us light up with hopefulness.

Do you remember when you were a kid when the waiting time between Thanksgiving and Christmas felt like about 42 years? How each day leading up to the big day dragged on like a never-ending marathon and Christmas Eve itself felt like an insomniac’s endurance test? How does that all change so completely? When now, days vanish in minutes while ‘to-do’ lists grow longer and we just don’t seem to have time to fit it all in.

Time is not necessarily solely objective (measurable) -time can also be subjective (perceived). It is thought that our experience of time can be impacted by our emotions, attention, memories and even our age – which seems to really be at work here.

In my experience time continues to feel as if it is racing forward without me- leaving me with less and less time to prepare for the holidays. For years my husband has been determined to start a petition to move Christmas to January -giving us more time to enjoy and prepare for all of the winter holidays. If based on the birth of Jesus, current biblical interpretations would suggest his actual arrival probably took place in September or October. But that timing might not work either. And I’m really not sure how many signatures his petition would need in order to make much of a difference.

As kids we could not wait for the ‘Sears Wish Book’ to arrive in the mail. The six of us would take turns leafing through the catalog - some creating exhaustive lists and circling and dog-earing pages.? It was hard to envision so many wonderful and magical things all existing in one place-a bit like Santa’s workshop I’d imagine.

Along with time, those Christmas wish lists have grown shorter and I find myself with a quiet knowing that I have what I need- and what a blessing that is. Christmas for me has always stood as a marker of time - more than birthdays or New Year’s celebrations. A magical time that drifts in with beautiful music - a bright star in a dark night- a song sung into the silence – a season of joy to reach out with our finest selves. It’s a small chunk of time within a racing year that reminds us of everything that is important. The ‘Cliff Notes’ on joy- the condensation of love and a synopsis on goodwill.

There is a line in one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs ‘Circle Game’- “Take your time, it won't be long now -till you drag your feet to slow the circles down”. That is my wish for all of us this Christmas-that the subjective nature of time allows us to slow it down, make new memories, gather with those we love, enjoy the sights and sounds and tastes of the season and fill our hearts with enough spirit to send us joyfully into a new year.

Whatever holiday you may celebrate may it rest within you and remind you of the light you carry. Happy Holidays to all and best wishes for a happy and a healthy new year! ❤️

Christmas Time ⏰