We wish you a Merry Christmas
I LOVE a good Christmas movie and I think my current favorite is "Noelle". This fabulous film starring Anna Kendrick came out on Disney Plus last December and has been deemed "a movie we must watch every year" in our household. It is totally a new generation's "Elf". Noelle is the daughter of Santa Claus and her brother must take over this year because their dad passed away, but Nick is super overwhelmed so he takes a trip to Phoenix, AZ to figure some things out. Well...when he doesn't return after the weekend, Noelle (who has NEVER left the North Pole) must venture to go find him and save Christmas. The comedic timing is incredible, the use of Christmas song lyrics is just cheesy enough, and the female empowerment moments will make it a classic.
Why am I describing this awesome movie to you? Well one because you should go watch it and two because there is a very honest moment where Noelle says "Traditions change. New ones are scary, but they might be great." and I want to dive into that.
I don't know about you but the moment lights and decorations go up in the cities, snowy pictures are being sent around, and Christmas music is being played it feels like magic is in the air. The holiday season feels like a bubble that brings warmth, a time to reconnect with family and friends and even in a way, our younger selves.
I LOVE tradition and the holidays are FILLED with them. From football and fudge on Thanksgiving to Christmas eve steak and Christmas morning cinnamon rolls. Okay so all those have to do with food but there are others. My family has a very specific way our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning looks and my mom would tell you each year is a little different (of course) but for me it feels the same....I always revert back to being a kid.
On top of loving traditions, I am stubborn and am not a fan of change (oh no is this going to be another blog about handling change lol). 2020 has brought lots of changes. This is the first year I am no longer a student, meaning no Christmas break and on top of that we are all living in the reality of a pandemic and THAT is totally going to change some traditions. I am not sure yet what that is going to look like but I am already preparing myself for things looking different. That is the key for me with change and unknown: mentally preparing for things to be different and flexible. I may not know what is going to be different, but if I am prepared for it to not look the same the transition is just a little bit easier. And lets hope maybe Noelle is right and the new traditions will be great.
I think that is the magic that we feel at Christmas, hope. "Christmas can't solve all the World's problems, but it can bring us hope, it inspires us to be nice."
I was lucky enough to be surrounded by good memories of the holidays growing up and have carried those into adulthood. I get excited to see my family, party with friends, sing Christmas carols, shop for the perfect gift, freeze outside (sometimes in the snow), go to the candlelight church service, run to my stocking....SO many things make the Holiday season exciting to me - like I said there is a magic in the air that makes it seem like anything is possible. But for some people the holidays bring pain and sadness. It is a vortex of busy and joyful and messy and hopeful. Christmas can be a reminder of loved ones who are not here anymore, the lack of job meaning there will be small to no Christmas, the question of will there be enough food, the fear of having to be surrounded by unsupportive family.
The amount of memories squeezed into a two month period is INSANE. And we would be lying to ourselves if we said those thoughts don't affect us. I would like to give you permission to feel all the feels. Its okay to be sad one minute and happy the next. Holidays may drudge up some ugly things for you and that is okay but I want you to take a minute and take a deep breath and look outside your own holiday circle. Look at the need and the hope around you. Christmas inspires us to be nice. There is no denying the magic that fills the air when "All I want for Christmas is you" or the classic "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber plays. Or the pure joy of rocking out to "Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra! When your holiday hope and joy is faltering or your traditions are changing, take a breath, play some music, re-center to the fact that the point of all this is Jesus, and remember the Holiday season is only part of the year.
~Be You
Rachel
p.s. I have no clue who the "we" in my title is. The title just came out of my fingers.
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