When I was a kid, I used to believe in Santa. Now that I have grown up, I don’t anymore, but I still want to. Because now I need to make up the stories that back then I took for granted. Otherwise the world becomes too small and narrow, too snowless.
We need Christmas because we need to ask ourselves whether it’s become a commercial holiday, an excuse to go on a gift-buying spree.
We need to worry about buying gifts for people we want to buy gifts for.
We need to expect snow, to long for it, to live without it when it doesn’t come.
We need to drape lights and garlands around our houses and plug them in so they will glow bright in the night.
We need to brace ourselves for family relations and put up with the odd family dinner.
We need to believe that there is something we need to believe in other than the usual, the ordinary, the normal.
And we need to ask ourselves whether we should really cut a tree to hang globes and garlands from its branches, or settle for a fake plastic tree.
I’m not sure I understand the “merry” part in Merry Christmas.
But Christmas brings a change of mood. It warms up people’s spirits.
We may not believe in Christmas, but then the good thing about Christmas is that it happens anyway every year, whether it snows or not.
Christmas is a whimsy certainty, and that makes it more than bearable, it makes it welcome.
boy with a hat 
Merry Christmas xx
this is a beautiful perspective on Christmas; lovely and poetic. Merry Christmas 😊
Merry Christmas
Quite early on, I realized that there is way too much stress over Christmas. Ideally, it should be such a merry, joyous occasion, but instead, like you mention – we are engulfed in preparations that take the merriness and joy out of the season. I try to simplify things and make sure I enjoy it.
Also, are fairytales really that bad? Why is the new trend to not have kids believe in Santa? I miss the magic of being a kid…
Christmas is a bipolar time. It’s the measure of expectations versus reality, where reality is most often found lacking. I love the lights and time with family, but could do without most everything else… That said, I hope you had a great Christmas!
I like your little essay about Christmas..I would have written a very similar one. Even with this commercial aura or general speed for preparations&co, I love it. I also love this holid
this holiday since
I was a child (sorry for the ‘multiple’ comments, my baby was by mistake touching the laptop). I do not think it is commercial, people make it commercial. Christmas in itself is about joy (Jesus baby), about generosity, about nature and people together, about music, about sharing…It is my favourite holiday and it will remain forever like this. I know there is no Santa like you say, but, just like you, for me Santa exists. Every time I give a gift, small or big, wrapped or not, useful or stupid and I make someone smile or laugh, it just brings light in my heart. And I know it is the same for the others. Even a fir tree decoration, cheap and simple, made with a bit of love and imagination can make a Christmas day joyful and anyone happy. And let’s not forget the fir-tree itself; I am an ecologist so it is difficult to choose what tree to have. But finally I have chosen to use an artificial one and some real fir-tree branches for the authenticity and winter spirit. Plus, my piano that is waiting, not only for Christmas, to be used and appreciated 🙂 as life cannot be life without music.
I have million reasons to love Christmas and not enough time to describe them. So, Multumesc 🙂 Multumesc, Vincent Mars, for writing this, it just went to my heart! Have a wonderful winter season with joy and magical power to make your wishes come true !
I have settled on an artificial tree, too. I enjoyed your thoughtful comment. See you around.