The typical Christmas letter is a letter that a family sends to friends and relatives telling a story of how that family's year has gone. I'm going to deviate from that form a bit. My Christmas letter this year is something of a love letter, and it is written to you.
I recently came across a statement from an atheist saying how they the felt like a hypocrite when they politely responded to people with a "Merry Christmas," at this time of year. To me, it is as appropriate for them to say "Merry Christmas," as it is for me. If I think about Christmas Spirit or the Meaning of Christmas, I see three aspects to it.
Christmas is a party! We seem to lose track of this. For many of us, there is so much of a pursuit of perfection that we forget to just sit back and have fun. But in the end, that's what it means to be festive. We are in the blackest time of year, when depression (non-clinical) often takes hold. Christmas is an excuse to relax and just have some fun.
Christmas is a celebration prosperity. I don't mean this in any kind of miserly sense, but in terms of sharing blessings. The act of giving gifts is a way that we can enjoy our prosperity and the blessings that we have been given.
Christmas is about love. To me, this is the most important aspect of Christmas. Christmas is one of those times when we mix chaos and tradition into a complicated dance, all with the intent of showing how much we love each other. We're humans, so we're not that great at it, but we try. Even in the strictest "Christ in Christmas" sense, the importance of Christ's birth is that it is the expression of God's love, leading to final possibility of reconciliation between humans and God.
I have to make a bit of a liar of myself, and frame this with a bit of 2013 personal history. To Amber and I, 2013 is a year that cannot be in the past fast enough. There have been a number of blessings, without a doubt. However, the times of pain have left significant marks this year. As often happens in years of pain, it has also been a year of various kinds of growth. So as I look at the world, today, it is without those things sitting at the back of my mind.
The other thing sitting at the back of my mind, though, is you. All of you. Part of me is tempted to go through the laundry list of blessings I've received from people on my friends list. My biggest fear is that I would leave someone out, unintentionally. As we all know, details are not a strength of mine. It's funny, because you are all so different. Some of you, I only know a little, some of you I know very well. All of you are people I choose to keep in touch with, because in some way, I think we can make each other better people.
I have to say, I am constantly amazed by all of you. You've done me the favor of letting me peer into your life. I know a number of you have had a painful 2013 as well. A number of you are still struggling today. I've gained a lot from watching your struggles, and sharing in my own way your tears and triumphs. You've shown me the different kinds of strength it takes to make it through life: strength of will, strength of character, strength of devotion, and sometimes even physical strength. You've helped me learn how to relax a little bit more and have fun. You've shown me how to hold hope alive, even when things are bleak. You've shown me the power of faith.
A number of you right now, are looking at yourselves and thinking how little of that you feel you've shown. You know your flaws, your dark moments, your failures, and your times of weakness. My parents have always had a fairly loose Christmas tradition. Growing up, we were never one of those families in pursuit of perfection. I think that is part of why I still enjoy the Holidays so much. There is a certain beauty, to me, in weak people showing strength. So to me, you are all wonderful and I say, "Merry Christmas."
No comments:
Post a Comment