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Merry Christmas. This greeting has struck fear and elation in the hearts of mankind for years. Usually you’re on one side of the poles: you love it or you hate it. I am not sure I have met anyone who is in the middle. No one’s ever looked me in the eye and said, “Christmas, yah it’s ok. Kind o’ like the peppermint but that eggnog stuff, not really a fan.” No, it’s one of the two extremes.
A family friend starts the Christmas countdown on December 26th. It’s a bit extreme and I must admit, I find it a bit annoying to see Christmas social media posts in July. It’s over the top. The Christmas in July movie celebration on some cable stations I can do without. The good thing, I realize I can change the channel. Yay for me!
There are others who just hate Christmas. They are like the Grinch (from the live-action movie starring Jim Carey):
Narrator: So whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, he stood outside his cave, hating the Whos.
The Grinch: [opens phone book] Alphabetically!
[looks into book] Aadvarkian Abakeneezer Who, I…
[yelling] HATE YOU!
[looks into book again]
Aaron B. Benson Who, I hate *you*.
[looking into book]
Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!
I admit this might be an extreme for those who “don’t like Christmas” but it illustrates my point. I’m not sure why some have such a reaction to the holiday. I understand the revulsion to the commercialism, (see my post from last year), and I understand all of the issues with family that’s cause pain and trauma in a lifetime where we would want to just take the holiday and toss it out the window.
Whether you hate it or absolutely love it, you have to admit this time of year has a great influence on our lives. And if you’re on the end of hating, I feel for you. There is no escaping, there really isn’t any place you can go to escape, Christmas.
I guess that’s my point in all of this: it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from, Christmas is going to influence your life one way or another. My hope for you this year is you allow the joy of Christmas to sit with you, to touch your life and influence how you interact with the world. Hopefully, you can take a moment and reflect on the moral of the story of the Grinch: that Christmas will come. It will “come without ribbons. It will come without tags. It comes without packages, boxes or bags… Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…means a little bit more.”
This is my wish for you this Christmas, that you might exclaim, like the Grinch, “Help Me… I’m feeling.”, that you will find joy this Christmas, and that your heart may grow three sizes that day! Merry Christmas!