As we head into our second holiday season under the shadow of COVID-19, it may be tempting to turn on the spigot at full blast again -- for the gifts, the big holiday displays and party-studded December. For many of us, maybe that’s the preferred tack. But after yesterday’s perhaps welcome return to family feasting and gatherings, it’s worth pausing to consider just what the holidays are about.
What have they meant for millennia; what could they be this year? Can we make this holiday season less complicated, less stressful, more fulfilling?
There’s no denying that Christmas (and perhaps, albeit to a far lesser extent, Hanukkah, which begins Sunday) has come to be about the gifts. We gain joy from our children’s joy, from the pleasure our gifts engender.
But that’s far from what the holidays really mean and have meant. It’s always been a time for many to focus on prayerful contemplation, family, togetherness, love, and support, plus the fulfillment of giving where it matters most, to those in need.
A sled full of extravagances is nice, but the holidays lose something when they come festooned with the extreme stress attached to finding (and paying for) those “perfect” gifts for everyone.
This year, in particular, thanks to supply bottlenecks, some of those hot toys -- and many not-so-hot toys and items -- have been left behind on Santa’s slow sleigh.
So why not plan a simpler holiday in 2021? Why not scale it back to the basics? Take a cue from Kwanzaa, perhaps, which emphasizes the decorations, the music, the togetherness and artistic traditions. Even many retailers have finally let their employees stay home on the day after Thanksgiving, and made “Black Friday” a time of rolling discounts.
Why not go back to those times when the holidays seemed more modest, more constrained, yet also more relaxing, more soul-satisfying, more beautiful in their simplicity, and filled with simple pleasures.
This time of year, after all, is not about extravagance. It’s centered on joy. And what gives us joy? Many get joy from the religious observances, the uplifting prayers, hymns and music. But there’s also the quieter, more family- and home-centered joy -- those restful, candlelit evenings, filled with conversation, smiles and laughter, music and decorations, hot toddies and good fellowship.
Yes, for too many among us after nearly two years of a deadly pandemic, there is the sorrow at the missing friends and family members. As well, some of the wider political discord may have infected not just our public squares, the halls of our legislatures and workplaces, but also our families.
Yet, surely we can put our politics on the shelf for these family moments. We can unite in thankfulness to be back amidst those we love. We can join in gratitude for the first responders and health care workers still carrying so much of the burden in these fractured, uncertain times.
Most of all, we can focus on drawing out the simpler pleasures of a simplified holiday season, and capturing that joy again -- maybe even roasting chestnuts by the fire, helping neighbors in need, stringing popcorn for the tree. It’s worth a try. It might even lift a burden or two.
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The holidays, simplified, can help bring us back to the basics: editorial - cleveland.com
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