The Christmas Spirit

It’s that time of year again. This year feels especially poignant, as there is not much other fun to be had with Covid-19 lockdowns.

We are almost in December. That means, Christmas is around the corner, the countdown is officially on.

The annual wild goose chase has begun. Seeking, chasing, craving the Christmas spirit, whatever that is.

To Messrs Scrooge and Grinch I apologise profusely for this article. It’s not for everyone this melancholy chase for the Christmas spirit. There are saboteurs among us who hold deeply entrenched nonsensical beliefs like “It’s just another day” or “it’s just a commercial excuse”

HUMBUG, I say. BAH HUMBUG. These scrooge types should be publicly tarred and feathered.

Nonsense. If Christmas is just another day, then take me to the other side now, life is no longer worth living. If we cannot celebrate and enjoy Christmas as a highlight of the winter calendar, then sack it all.

If you are joining me from the UK, take a look outside. I’ll bet it’s raining, daresay it’s gloomy outside. Darkness will descend at around 4 PM.

Christmas is a rare bright spot on the Winter calendar. Even more so this year, since all the restaurants and bars are closed anyway and holidays are off the agenda.

However, it can be like anything else in life. It can seem better in the “good old days” or when you were younger. That’s what melancholy does, it makes you yearn for your youth.

And because of that, we can lose sight of the here and now whilst desperately yearning for the past. I’ve done it myself, desperately clinging to tradition and memories as a conduit to past glories.

The thing about chasing the Christmas Spirit is, well, it’s impossible. It cannot be bottled, nor distilled into a neat drink. It cannot be stored away in a cool, dry place. Your perception of the Christmas spirit is a flawed recollection; what you feel now about Christmas’ of the past, you did not feel at the time. Back then, it was just another moment lived in the here and now.

The popular phrase is “Getting into the Christmas spirit”. This suggests a fleeting glimpse at that spirit and a perpetual state of striving to achieve it, an active verb so to speak. How do you know when you have the Christmas spirit?

It’s time to change our mindset around Christmas. We must recognise that it will never be the same as it was when we were young — because times have changed. Lives have evolved, loved ones have departed this earth.

Accepting this will set you free to enjoy the here and now. To make new memories and cast aside the alluring, dominating memories of Christmas’ past.

Having learned the hard way by making these mistakes, here are some tips for enjoying the Christmas:

Don’t Cling to Tradition

Ok, fair enough, you may have played a game of 5-a-side football on Christmas Eve when you were 9. That was 25 years ago, though, and before you had a prosthetic hip and smoked 20 a day.

That may have been a good Christmas, yes, but those days are done. Ditch the diehard commitment to tradition and set yourself free. No need to have a tired pint with the same group of pals every year nor walk the neighbour’s dog.

Clinging to tradition roots you in the past — why not enjoy Christmas in the present?

Santa is Dead

I’m really sad to say this — but, Jolly Old St Nick perished many years ago. Drove his sleigh into a helicopter.

The days of believing in Santa were undoubtedly the best and happiest of all our childhoods. What a benevolent, avuncular old philanthropist he was. And what work ethic!! The man put in a serious shift every year.

He brought a bit of magic to festivities. Sadly, he is no more. Suggest you redeploy the milk and carrot for Rudolph.

Raise a Glass to Absent Friends

At Christmas, a time for families and congregating together, absent loved ones are missed acutely. Don’t forget them, but don’t mourn them either. Raise a glass to their memory and be thankful for the times you had together.

Don’t Plan

As long as you have the Christmas dinner sorted and presents ready, you are all good. An hour by hour itinerary of proceedings over the festive period is entirely unnecessary.

No one likes organised fun. Let the days unfold around you and do what feels right.

Wishing all my followers a very happy festive season. I do hope you and yours enjoy it, particularly in the challenging times in which we live.