Happy holidays! The time is upon us – no doubt! Even if you like to draw a line in the sand (no Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving, perhaps?), that line is well behind us. So dive in – it’s the holiday season!
I like to say that one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. And on a day like this, where I look outside and see dreary weather and a full day of work ahead, I could really use it! So here’s the quote:
…. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.
Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas
Listen, I’m as nuts as the next person about Christmas stuff. I hang Christmas lights all over our house and drag the biggest tree I can find into our foyer and blare Christmas songs on the radio and on and on. There is a lot of fun to be had!
But this time of year is important for a lot of reasons. Our schools and organizations have events, pageants, and parties. We connect with family. At work, we appreciate our staff, support, supervisors, and co-workers. We see friends and relatives who often live far away. Sometimes we even manage to squeeze in some time for volunteering and helping others.
Often this deluge of events and obligations can seem like the most important thing. We conflate the “holiday” with decorating and partying and hustling. But it can be about so much more than that if we let it.
This isn’t a religious post. You don’t have to give glory to God, and certainly not to any specific god. But I am taking a moment or two this week to think about where I give glory, and I encourage you to do the same. Am I beholden to the almighty dollar – to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale? Am I dedicated to the parties or the movies? Or is my glory given to the things that are bigger than myself? Do I appreciate lights and carols and family because they mean that we belong to something greater than just one person?
Here’s the real trick – the second part of that quote. Peace, goodwill toward men. We spend a lot of time talking and singing about these wonderful concepts this time of year. Movies and shows and books and songs are all dedicated to mentioning them. And we may even feel them for a short time. But we have so many opportunities in our daily lives to live them. To make this season about more than just tinsel – to make it about change. So I am challenging myself to keep that one with me, even when I am dealing with someone or some situation that might ordinarily make me a little less than “peaceful.”
Have a great week everybody.