This is weird but the other day while I was working on my computer, a pop-up occurred telling me how many days were left until Christmas. I checked it out and it’s a real site, a Christmas countdown clock. Here it is (if you don’t believe me) https://www.xmasclock.com/ .
Basically, we have 151 days (as of this post) until Christmas. We are more than halfway through the year and thus, Christmas is ticking nearer. I am not an early shopper so the reminder does me no good, but it did give me quick pause to think about how important the spirit of Christmas is and should be, and how much I forget as time crunches on, my schedule becomes priority, and the days flow into other days, then weeks, and then months.
Christmas is a time of joy and big ideas. It is celebratory and solemn, all at the same time. It is spiritual, ecumenical, and theatrical (lights, productions, trees and presents). Moreover, Christmas is a time of unity; a time to put work and trivial things aside and to be peaceful and joyful (peace on earth, goodwill toward all).
I’m working on putting a bit of Christmas, now with the recent reminder, back into my world. I’m tired of the negativity around and the dour news that proliferates my day. I want to see a bit of wonder daily and believe that the world is still, a very good place full of good people. The imagery of Christmas washes out most of the negativity and replaces it with a sentimental view of the world – a Norman Rockwell picture.
There were few times I remember my dad being choked-up by something on television. Bob Hope’s Christmas specials did that to him. I asked him why, much later in life. He said that just the thought of families being apart at Christmas made him kind of sad and then, when Bob did his show and the tenderness that was in the message during a war zone, made him “misty”. I got it. Life is fragile and short, and we should never forget to celebrate the real blessings we have, every day.
The thing that makes Christmas special for me, even in July, is the actual story (not the Santa Claus story). My favorite version is found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, verses 1-20. Even now, I read it again, and my heart grew a touch lighter, I smiled, and a realization kicked in. The realization is that most of what I think is important on any given day, is not. I fret small stuff and I think the day is about how much more I should be getting done perhaps, versus what I am getting done. I think too much about work, clients, and business. Maybe, too much like the shepherds busily watching their sheep and afraid of seeing and believing in, the actual miracle shown to them.
So, on this Hump Day, 151 days before Christmas, I’m going to grab a little Christmas spirit and try to spread it about during my day. I’ll hopefully share fellowship this morning at a breakfast with some close friends. Work will still be present, but I won’t fret the smaller things today. I’ll focus more on the blessings I have and the people that matter most to me. I’ll turn down the news and not worry so much about the “opinion of the day”. I’ll work toward keeping a bit of wonder and joy about the world around me, close to me. Most important, while I won’t say it aloud, I will say it internally to myself and those I meet today and forward, Merry Christmas! Joy, peace on earth and goodwill to all! Happy Hump Day!