Holiday Feelings ... by Deb Banister-Hazama.
There are so many articles published this time of year providing tips, lists of how-to’s on “handling the holidays” or dealing with the “stress of the holidays”. Articles discuss communicating more, spending less, setting priorities; simple, quick, no stress for no-stress solutions. Yet, this all is so depressing because this is NOT how the holiday’s are supposed to “feel”. As Christians, we are supposed be filled with the peace and joy of Christ’s birth, aren’t we?
I love this time of year because the season starts when all the classic movies are on TV, like the “Sound of Music”. The movies “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” and “Miracle on 34th Street” share that Christmas time is a time of giving, sharing, joy and gratitude. The characters, music, well crafted lines are all remnants from times past and reminders today of how we are supposed to feel at this time of year. And yet, some of us struggle with feeling the joy intended for the season.
“Joy to the World!” “Merry Christmas!” “Happy Holidays!” These are words of the season. Do you remember when you were a child watching with wonder and joy the Christmas tree being lit and decorated? Do you remember the nurturing feeling from the traditional holiday scents coming from the kitchen? How about your earliest memory of evidence of St. Nicolas? Going to church with your family or dropping off baked goods at friends, neighbors and relatives or selecting the perfect gift for your high school sweet heart – all memories of how it should be during Christmas time.
As soon as the signs of fall begin, many of us experience a rise in anticipation for the season of Joy … and for some, with it come anxiety, worry, dread due to all the things we expect from the season. We expect that our childhood memories will be met with equal and greater fulfillment; we expect that we will have the same feelings of joy today as we did then. We expect ourselves, our loved ones, and God to fill us with glee, merriment, joy … and when it doesn’t happen, or even when the earliest symptoms of disappointment start; “poof” Joy to the Rest of the World becomes our theme song. It is no wonder that we may feel somewhat joy-less during this time of year; we have set ourselves up for failure because no one can live up to the “Miracle on 34th Street” results … or can we?
Because the season can bring with it joy and disappointment, we tend to focus on only the joy and want to put the disappointment in a box in the attic. However, without being willing to feel the joys and disappointments of the past and then embrace and accept both, expecting miracles and joy is futile. Yet, if we feel, accept, and embrace all our holiday memories and feelings, then give them to the Child King. We can “believe” as “Elf” insists. We can, in essence, remodel our feelings – provide our hearts “feeling upgrades” (feelings we feel today built on the feelings of the past). Then we can fully experience the JOY of Christ’s birth and all the glorious implications of His birth! We can expect miracles on Christmas mornings! We can see the Joy of Christ in our neighbor as we say “good morning” on our way to Church; we can bask in the beauty of the candle light during our Christmas meal; we can see God’s love in the sparkle of our loved ones’ eyes when we say “Merry Christmas”. We can really say and feel “Joy to the World” because our Lord has come into our hearts and feelings!