Yeah.. the Christmas spirit surely lingers everywhere these days. You can see it, hear it, taste it, smell it but most of all ...FEEL it. I can, can you?
Have you ever thought of what it really means? I did for so many times, I've asked my folks about it and they've always just tells me about this "Christmas Spirit " and the 25th day of the Calendar. When I moved here, I found out the Dutch actually have two days marked on the calendar for it - the 25th and the 26th. Confusing now? Not really, like the many of you I chose to have my own belief of Christmas because it's allowed and here it is.
The story behind it: Anne likes strolling around her place so she got familiarized with the many faces in her neighborhood and strangers that would sometimes take shelter under the viaduct, the bridge, the park or the train station. Peculiar you may say but every time the month marked "Christmas " in the calendar comes, she goes around carrying boxes of clothes or a bag full of groceries. For some reason she knows, someone could make use of them.
It's not because she thinks it should be done or that she's obliged to give a gift around though she was conditioned to. It's just some sort of an instinct of knowing that somewhere out there in this season, one is suffering from cold, hunger, loneliness and poverty. Though Anne knows she could only help a few and that food banks and the shelter for the homeless are always open and available where she is, ready to assist, she's also aware that the conversations among souls there doesn't really go deep. What some people call bottom feeders are human for Anne and like her, they too, long for attention, or even a small sincere gesture of saying; "I see you, talk to me."
Though Anne keeps the conversation to hopeful and funny moments with them souls under those viaduct or where ever else she finds them, she keeps it real. Not because she's a saint, she's an empath and she has lived both worlds of being one of those that "have" and "have not". She gives gifts them gifts that she herself could eat or wear and never something she herself won't like to receive.
She's not doing it for because she has a hero syndrome but because of the belief that He who performs the act of helping the needy puts the divine force most powerful of all that breathes this earth, in debt.
Oh, she's read a line similar to that somewhere in what Christians call the Bible. Her house, never adorned with Christmas decors, her facade is decorated with the mere plants she has on it but Anne could be found dining out with her husband instead, making merry and sharing every moment with him making sure she could make him feel her love, spend the night out playing till they tire and sleeps deep in the night during that marked day on the calendar when the fuzz is all around, waking up the next day all fresh and never stressed out.
When those red marked dates arrive, Anne doesn't have a feast on her table, nor a lit tree surrounded with gifts she does have a fireplace full of cards some self made and signed by ... some people she doesn't even know but mind you, she delights in the thought that somewhere in a nook an ignored soul has something to eat perhaps, enough to make them oblivious to the possible longing that they, too could have a turkey and a feast to share with several souls.
The story behind it : Sam like Anne doesn't go with the flow most of the world gets carried away into in this time of the year. He though, takes his kid Jimmy to doing the groceries and lets him help his wife to cooking warm food for the children selling lanterns in the route he often takes on his way back home from work. He would let his son give it to them himself and have always reminded to give it to them with a smile. His son helps him and his wife pack all the goodies they're giving those kids away every year. Nothing fancy, just fruits, their favorite buns, some fried drumsticks, cause which kid doesn't like drumsticks and mineral water.
They are aware that some of kids are being managed by either their abusive parents or a group of syndicate so they never gave them cash. In some normal months, they do give them clothes and slippers. Nothing fancy just clean and never torn nor patched. Sam and his whole family are also oriented that that red marked date on the calendar means feast at the table, exchange gifts and money shower but like Anne above, they don't observe any of those. Of course, Sam regularly gifts his wife and son because he believes in loving ones' self first is a confirmation that you can extend love to others. Makes sense, how can you say you can love when you don't even love yourself?
Sam belongs to a huge extended family and somehow they consider him the black sheep for not bothering sending them gifts nor money nor food for this time of the year. Oh! Not even a card! Sam used to suffer from their rants about it a lot till he finally accepted that everyone has their own rights to observe this time of the year and so does he and explaining to them is no use. He knows, they would never accept any reason he gives them because they want him to do what they want him to do for them and Sam is pretty much of a strong head so you can already guess he won't give in to their demands.
He doesn't argue about it to them though because he's learned to let it be. He neither worries that they will be feeling bad about not getting any thing from him this time of the month because they all come together to a huge feast and gift giving to show him what they think he's missing and Jimmy is fine with that. For some reason, he's found peace in his heart letting them be.
His wife gets him and somehow appreciates that Sam is so because she was freed from all the stress she used to go through trying to find the right gifts, cooking her best recipe and going through all that decorating the tree and tidying up the whole stuff away. She's also very glad that they're electric bills don't soar up like cyrptos do during this time of the year. She and Sam and perhaps little Jimmy delights in the smile and sometimes tears a kid sheds, when he gives them their bag of goodies.
As a family somehow they're doing a different conditioning for Jimmy that Christmas isn't just one day and that it's spirit is okay to linger any other time of the month when needed and all the other commercialized things that go along with it does not necessarily define it. That it's the act of giving not defined nor dictated by a set ritual or date the majority of the society observes. It's the act of spreading kindness and love true to its own intent without the expectation of having it returned or profiting from it. It's every positive adjective you could find in the dictionary or any language one speaks.
I, too resonate with Anne and Sam but I do respect that you or your family observe it so here's to wishing you a warm, full of love and peaceful December holidays. Remember, the world is not just all about you and it doesn't end in your own roof or extended family alone. Before this becomes a litany and since I dislike reading a post that sounds like a sermon with emphasized repeated text which I don't learn anything from let me just show you the screenshots of the process I took in creating them. Yeah, I made this in my other smartphone's film maker cause my Note 1's OS isn't compatible to it anymore damn updates!
PROOF it's my own work:
So tell me, what were you told about what the true meaning of Christmas is? Do share what "the spirit of Christmas" really means to you? I'd like to know perhaps you're holding a diamond I haven't picked up yet. Spill!
This content's 100% mine. I drew the pics on my Samsung Galaxy Note 1 and bluetoothed the screenshots to my other smartphone so that's to clarify why the file says download folder to those who double checks my picture . My android phones creates a folder titled download for any item bluetoothed to any of it.
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