Extending seasons of joy
For anyone and everyone that knows me…you know that Christmas holds a really freaking special place in my heart. Catch me decorating, watching corny Hallmark movies, listening to music and just celebrating the season all before Halloween has even come. Most people just think I am out of my mind…which leads me to my favorite line in the well-loved show Ted Lasso:
“Guys have underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. But then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman, and it was painted on the wall there. It said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I like that.” - Ted Lasso.
The reason I love Christmas so much, you ask?…it isn’t the actual holiday itself or the gift-exchanging tradition or any of the commercial aspects. It’s the spirit. It’s the way you find yourself amongst a crowd of humans out in public and there’s this collective glow and hum in which almost everyone seems to be in the same boat for a short time. There’s Christmas music playing, decorations are all around…and there is just a palpable spirit. I love it for the way it makes me feel…the way it seems to connect humanity. So, I choose to extend that feeling for myself. I choose to make the Christmas season last longer than one month so I can soak in all the joy I get from it. I love creating my own traditions like driving around in pajamas with a friend to look at lights…making my own wrapping paper, doing some extra random acts of kindness, and even adding something new each year!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that the holiday season doesn’t always have the same meaning for everyone. In fact, for some it is quite a difficult time of the year. Some are navigating a ‘first’ without someone they love, while some are sitting inside of, or working on healing old patterns that might not serve them anymore. It isn’t about changing anyone’s mind, it is simply about honoring that it brings me so much joy, just as much as I respect those that tend to head the opposite direction from all things Christmas.
Whatever your season of joy may be…I challenge you to extend it a bit. How can you make it last longer? Does it mean traveling to where the sun stays out later or maybe where snow falls a little sooner? Does it mean finding the time to see the sunrise or sunset no matter the weather? Does is mean leaving decorations for your favorite holiday up a little bit longer than others?
It’s not about WHAT it is, it’s about how it makes you feel.
Go choose joy…and make it LAST :)