“T’is the season when the saints can employ us to spread the news about peace and to keep love alive.”
10 points to you if you knew that was from A Muppets Christmas Carol, but another 10 points if you know that for all of the Christmas songs and carols out there, this is the one line that always takes my breath away. The simplicity of the words but the depth of their meaning catch me off guard each year when I hear it and it always feels like the first time. It gives me a moments pause to actually reflect on what those words mean.
I’m not a particularly religious person. I have faith, but it’s absolutely not wrapped up in one specific denomination and while I hold fond memories of the traditions and words that make up a religious service and I can still recite the Nicene Creed in my sleep, it’s more the memory of community that I hold dear and not religion itself. It’s that sense of community that this song speaks about that reminds me why I love this season so much. In the midst of the shopping and the stress of dinners, there is still this tiny part of us that is constantly reminding us why all of this chaos is worth it. It’s not for the morning spent ripping open gift wrap, it’s about the hug that follows, that small moment between two people who are connected by love. As cheesy as the sentiment sounds, the day the Santa Claus parade happens, I feel a light turn on inside of me, one of peace and love and it stays with me through everything. It expands when I find myself singing Christmas carols in a grocery store and triples in size when I catch Jess singing along too. It lights up watching children line up to see Santa, that even though the line is never-ending, the tradition will win out and that moment, regardless of how successful it was is tucked away into the other christmas memories and traditions that we cling to.
Over the past few years, we’ve come into Christmas with the same debate: where are we going, who are we going to spend the actual day with. Each year different particulars weigh heavier than others and it’s not always an easy conversation. I know that I’m not alone in this and it’s just one of the moments of give and take in a marriage. What has become clear though is that the specific day doesn’t matter as much as the traditions do. Lily will remember opening gifts with Gran Gran at Christmas and it won’t matter to her that it happened to be on the 27th instead of the 25th. We’ll hold the board games, playing with new toys on the floor and Pa falling asleep in his chair in our hearts with as much love as we’ll remember the big breakfasts and afternoon naps at Grampa’s house. The memories will blend together over time and all that will remain strong is the love that is within each of them. And that’s because Christmas truly isn’t one day, but is a season: a period of time each year where traditions are kept and new traditions made (I’m personally hoping that the Pie in the Face game becomes a new tradition made, if only because it brings out the best gasps and giggles). It’s the season to keep love alive…
From our family to yours, may the season of love stay within you for the rest of the year and begin anew in 2016. 