Contrary to what we would like to believe, not everyone likes Christmas. It’s not that some people don’t like the elements of the holiday – the gifts, the cookies, the music. The deepest intricate meaning of Christmas is HOPE. Unfortunately, a lot of people are just plum out of hope.
Enter “bah humbug” feelings. It’s easy to shrug off and ignore those who are not enjoying the wonder of the season like you. Think of the movie, Elf – there are those of us (clearing throat….) who truly LOVE Christmas and would sing at the top of our lungs in the subway (if we lived near one… and smile till our face hurts. I want to be very sensitive though, to those who simply are… sad.
I want to live out what I think HOPE looks like. It’s easy to talk, give someone a speech, or a glib cliché. But, what mankind needs most this Christmas season is to SEE what HOPE looks like.
I believe HOPE should look a lot like LOVE
If you get a hug (after years of NOT getting one) – that is HOPE.
If someone asks you your name after so many years (and you really have to stop and think what it is) – that is HOPE.
If a stranger offers you a large cup of peppermint hot chocolate (for no reason) – that is HOPE.
If you wonder how you are going to buy your child a present (and someone who picked their name off an Angel tree gets that child EXACTLY what they wanted) – that is HOPE.
If you are lying alone in the dark, in a nursing home (and a stranger appears at your door to sing a song you have long forgotten) – that is HOPE.
What can we each do to live out the true message of Christmas? That light has shone in the darkness, that music has silenced the fear, that love has given us all a reason to get up and try one more time.
#HopeSpringsEternalThruHumanHandsAndHearts
