By Jim Selman | Bio
Well, here we are, another Christmas Day, almost another year gone by and people everywhere are at home or, if not, are hopefully getting ‘something special’. I am saying a special ‘thanks’ to all those people who are working today so the rest of us can relax and do whatever it is we’re doing on Christmas day—the soldiers, the firemen, the police, the health care workers and even lots of people in the hospitality and transportation industries.
I woke up today thinking about other Christmas mornings when I was a child or when my own children were young. There is nothing quite like the squeal of anxious toddlers peering with wonder at gifts left by the magical Santa. I remember one Christmas when we left chocolate kisses on the stairs for the children to follow while “Jingle Bells” played on the stereo. The memory fills me with joy and happiness and just a touch of nostalgia for those times when we were young.
There is a damper on this Christmas as millions of people are waking up to economic uncertainty, and with it uncertainty about just about everything else in their lives. It can be frightening but also enlightening. The future has always been uncertain, even when we’ve deluded ourselves into thinking that we can grow forever, live now and pay later and, in one way or another, keep our materialistic ‘ride’ going.
At some point, we must wake up and grow up. We need to stop believing in Santa Claus and deal with the world on the world’s terms. Someone paid for the gifts under the tree. The real joy is not in the ‘stuff’, but in experiencing the love and being present to the wonder and innocence we once shared. Today, we may have fewer resources to buy the material symbols and toys of Christmas, but we can still share our love and appreciation.
So on this day, I want to wish for all of us to celebrate the abundance of love and gratitude that abounds if we are listening and open to receive it. May the miracle of this special day touch each of us and remind us that whatever our age or religion or education or work, we are all in this together.
