Turned on 105.5-no more holiday music.
Checked out the ABC Family listings for the day, holiday movies-gone.
In the blink of an eye people are packing up the decorations and I find the whole thing a little sad.
Not because the commercialism that’s associated with the holidays is no longer at the forefront but the overall feeling of joy and implicit meaning seems to easily slip by the wayside.
In most companies it’s an immediate shift of focus to the bottom line in 2017.
In traditional schools the attitude in January drastically changes as district assessment scores emerge and as preparation for state exams begin. (Even though they’re not until the spring.)
If you’re lucky enough to be around kids (and even some adults-myself included), you know that the amount giddy anticipation that leads up to the holiday season is darn near contagious.
Which part that creates the giddiness is different for each of us but for the most part, I believe it boils down to feeling joyous, the idea of giving, and spending time with those that you love. The spirit of Christmas if you will.
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas or any holiday for that matter or if you have your own ideas on how/why people celebrate, you can’t help but notice a slight difference in the attitudes of the masses around this time of year.
People greet each other more. People give more. People smile more. People show more empathy.
My question every year is always, why does it seem to only exist around the holiday season?
Why can’t people harbor this attitude of gratitude and kindness all year round? Or perhaps, if people do-why don’t we express it to others outwardly and openly as much as we do around this time of year? One step further, why shouldn’t we be teaching our kids how to live like this all year round?
I won’t judge people’s differences or where they are in life’s journey, but something to consider-what if we all embraced and continued to carry out the spirit of the holidays all year round? What a difference our daily experiences would be in school and in life.
Lucky for me, my husband has embraced my enthusiasm for the holidays and accepts that I’ll keep the decorations up a little longer than necessary at home. My students also quickly realize my affinity and embrace the idea of keeping strands of Christmas lights up all year round.
Perhaps you’ll consider keeping something that you treasure longer than necessary as a reminder to spread more of the ‘spirit’ even though it’s “after the holidays”.
Because, if we get down to it-life’s short. If it makes you and others happy, why not?
As I sign off for the last time in 2016-Merry Everything!
P.S. I know it’s not called ABC Family anymore but FreeForm just doesn’t have the same ring to me.