I’ve been—and will continue to be—mostly staying offline in an effort to avoid Star Wars: The Force Awakens spoilers until I get a chance to see the movie on Monday night. But I didn’t want to wait until then to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas. Even as I type that a part of me bristles, not because whoever is reading this might not celebrate Christmas (as an atheist I celebrate the season not as a religious event but as a time we can aspire to peace and goodwill towards our fellow man. I also treasure the lustrous decorations and festive lights that temporarily brighten our long winter nights), but because the pressure to be happy can make the season so difficult—amplify feelings of loneliness, stress and sadness.Life is not always happy, even on the most beautiful May days when flowers are blooming and the sky is pure blue, even in December when holiday tunes are blaring and work-places are holding ugly sweater contests.
If times are tough right now, I wish for much better for you in the future. I know it’s possible because you and I are still here. Life changes and then changes again. I think what most people really mean when they say Merry Christmas is I wish you well. And that’s what I’m saying here. Peace. Happiness. Health. I wish you all of it.
"Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
“Mankind is a great, an immense family. This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.” ~ Pope John XXIII
Joyeux Noël. Je vous souhaite tous mes meilleurs vœux!
