While Christmas may be painted as a time of good will to all men and peace on earth for a lot of people it is very much the opposite. The irony is families who have not spoken a kind word to each other all year will come together under one roof with a misguided notion this new found togetherness will heal rifts and mend fences.
Chances are though if Uncle Joe has been an obnoxious drunk for 11 months of the year I am pretty sure he won’t take time off for Xmas. And if Aunty Beth’s only words to you during the year were why haven’t you lost weight and how do you expect to attract a man looking like that then she is probably going to be just as mean spirited when she walks through your door unless of course she has been sitting in the corner with Uncle Joe and now is completely plastered.
Is it really that Christian to sit through a meal biting your tongue instead of your turkey? Will the world as we know it cease to end if you do something different this year? Is it possible to start a new tradition where there is no alcohol in your house when Uncle Joe comes or instead this year spending Christmas with your immediate family instead of your extended one? And here is something really radical maybe you could deal with the issues in January giving you all year to set boundaries and mend fences. You could do the same thing you did last year suck it up knowing these people will be leaving in four hours but there is a saying ‘man/woman who buries head in sand will eventually wind up having butt kicked.’
Conversely there are people out there with no family Christmas is very much a time when the fact you are alone can’t be hidden behind false bravado. Suicides increase, reformed alcoholics lapse, crime increases and despair creeps in to every thought. Old age homes are filled with Elders whose families have stopped visiting or no longer exist. Homeless shelters are filled with lost souls who may not be able to reach out to their loved ones for various reasons. Children of all ages are on the streets and if you believe they are too hardened to feel the pain of not having a home to spend Christmas in and people to care about them think again. There will be Mum’s and Dad’s who for one reason or another have lost custody of their children for them not seeing their children open presents on Christmas day can be devastating.
So while Uncle Joe may be obnoxious and Aunty Beth a pain in the butt and Christmas a stress you can do without maybe the answer lies elsewhere. Maybe someone somewhere you don’t even know would welcome some Christmas cheer into their lives and perhaps your children may learn more about what giving is if they were able to experience it first hand. Maybe Christmas is not just about family but also about community the bigger picture. Maybe just maybe even if you do not believe in Christmas you can believe in the human spirit and your capacity to make a difference in the life of someone somewhere who needs to believe in it too.
There is nothing more rewarding than giving youth the opportunity and skills to step into their greatness.
by: Robin Johnson
Tags: Christmas spirit, community, family, giving, helping
