We have officially entered the month of December, which means Christmas season is officially—or inescapably—here, depending on how or whether you celebrate.
Most people nowadays think of Christmas as a joyful holiday, or at the very least a jolly one, thanks to the cheery music being played everywhere and the images of happy dancing snowmen and Santa Claus in his red suit. But Santa’s red suit was invented by Coca-Cola in the early 1900’s, and most of the Christmas songs you’ll hear on the radio were written more recently than that. Christmas as we know it is a fairly modern invention.
As a holiday, Christmas has been around for centuries. But if you go back more than a hundred years you’ll find that the day used to be observed with a much more somber tone. In fact, for most of its history, Christmas was considered a rather haunted holiday. One of the most popular Christmas stories of all time is about a man being visited all night by ghosts who use their supernatural abilities to teach him the meaning of Christmas.
It makes sense, when you think about it, that Christmas would be a bit spooky. It happens right around the winter solstice, which is the darkest time of the year. It’s cold outside and all the leaves have fallen off the trees. The world is going to sleep in a way that feels a bit like dying—and even though we know spring will bring it all back to life in just a few months, there is still a hint of grief in the air as we get to the end of a year that might have been good or bad or both, but whatever it was, now it’s over.
Christmas is of course a wonderful time to gather with friends and loved ones and enjoy all your blessings together. But it is also a good time for quiet and contemplation, for considering how you feel about the year that’s ending and what you might hope for the year about to come.
Whether or not you celebrate, please take good care of yourself this holiday season. Remember that being happy is more important than being perfect, people are more important than presents, and being thoughtful can matter a great deal more than having lots of money to spend.
And if you feel the weight of memories this time of year, or the spirits of those who have passed on, don’t be surprised. This is one of their favorite times of year.
