The Holidays
It is interesting to me all that the word holiday and all that holiday means to others. For some it elicits sadness for a variety of reasons like a recent death or a family member who died close to the holidays. For some it is all about the sparkle and shine while for others it is about the birth of Christ and a celebration of life. And for others it is about the tinsel and the glimmer of the holidays. The beautifully deocorated tree and the gifts under it. So many of us are very concerned with the gifts we give and the gifts we receive, some of which we actually order from one another, to my dismay an surprise. I personally think that the joy and meaning of the holidays has taken a back seat to what is really meaningful, although the glimmer does suck me in every time. In fact yesterday I decorated the branch whilte tree with aqua ornaments tied with Tiffany blue ribbons instead of hooks. My sister came by with her husband and her daughter. My niece helped me to put the tree up in three sections, one htat included the lights already installed onto it. The aqua ornaments go beautifully with the wall colors and the white slip covered furniture and once finished we were all in awe over it. The addition of birds makes it look unique and natural, brining the outside world in. I am uncertain as to whether I would ever not celebrate the tinsel and shine of Chirstmas because I just love it. I get some joy from the decorating and the display of a tree with white lights. I also get joy from getting gifts for my grandchildren who are still at that age where it means a lot to them.
This year I decided to send feelers out to others about not buying gifts for adults. In the past I arranged a grab bag for the adults to the each would only need to buy one gift for whoever they picked at random. This year my sister in law asked that we eliminate gifts for adults completely and so we have agreed not to buy gifts for adults, just for the children Mia and Isabella: 13 and 5. I love the idea and my daughter Camille brought up a good point that we could be more focused on the meaning of Chirstmas and sing some charols, enjoy food that we all contribute to and have my brother play the guitar and maybe my nephew play his sax for us. Included in the festivities will be games and music and dancing. The children will get their gifts but the adults will simply make a contribution to the party I am hosting in my home in Pingree Grove. I feel most exicted about making this about love and connection rather than the material gifts. I love my family for making donations to the church or giving to a charity or church instead of spending the money on each other. Really there is nothing that any of us need and the fact is that for us this holiday is more about gratitude and family instead of material goods. I am very proud of my family for opting out of the gift giving and making it about unity and love. We will get together in my home and we will laugh and dance and sing, play instruments and games and have a great time watching the children enjoy their holiday and a some gifts.
As I wait for the day to arrive I am looking forward to early December when my grandkids will be spending a few days with me and we will go see a movie or take a hay ride or spend some time in the game room at the clubhouse. Those days will be the most special to me when I get to be with them and have them all to myself. A time when we will play games, laugh and maybe take a ride to the park and rolld down the hills. A time to bond and hug and love each other up. A time for me to see how lucky I am to have these grandkids and still be alive to enjoy them after my personal battle with my health issues. A time to celebrate the connection between my grandkids and me. A chance to play games with them and take them out to the movies. A time of laughter at the antics of the five year old who is five going on twenty. Enjoying the shimmer of the Chirstmas tree I put up for them to enjoy and for me to enjoy as well. But most of all family time. That is what I look forward to the most. When the house is filled with laughter and song. When we share the foods we made and we sing and dance. A time for bonding and family and reverence for all that we have. A time to sing and play our instruments and a time to celebrate God's birth and the blessings that abound in our lives, especially God's beautiful and loving hands that embrace us and keep us safe.
This is a special year like no other because it starts with our family and celebratig who we are without censoring and without judgments from the past. It is a time to rejoice in our belief in God without any rebuttals and without non-believers around us. We chose to make this about us and if there is anyone out there that needs to be with someone they usually end up with us. That one person who is single or lost a spouse who needs to be with a family always manifests and we just say yes. The person who is alone and might need a family to be with will get invited or will simply manifest. It just happens organically every year that someone or maybe a couple of people find us and join us in our family festivities. Christmas would not be complete wthout those who need to find a place to be and we invite it. This holiday will not be about gifts, material parts but rather the joy and the love of family. There will be songs sung and dances danced and all will be well.
Elliott Collazo Gonzalez
This year I decided to send feelers out to others about not buying gifts for adults. In the past I arranged a grab bag for the adults to the each would only need to buy one gift for whoever they picked at random. This year my sister in law asked that we eliminate gifts for adults completely and so we have agreed not to buy gifts for adults, just for the children Mia and Isabella: 13 and 5. I love the idea and my daughter Camille brought up a good point that we could be more focused on the meaning of Chirstmas and sing some charols, enjoy food that we all contribute to and have my brother play the guitar and maybe my nephew play his sax for us. Included in the festivities will be games and music and dancing. The children will get their gifts but the adults will simply make a contribution to the party I am hosting in my home in Pingree Grove. I feel most exicted about making this about love and connection rather than the material gifts. I love my family for making donations to the church or giving to a charity or church instead of spending the money on each other. Really there is nothing that any of us need and the fact is that for us this holiday is more about gratitude and family instead of material goods. I am very proud of my family for opting out of the gift giving and making it about unity and love. We will get together in my home and we will laugh and dance and sing, play instruments and games and have a great time watching the children enjoy their holiday and a some gifts.
As I wait for the day to arrive I am looking forward to early December when my grandkids will be spending a few days with me and we will go see a movie or take a hay ride or spend some time in the game room at the clubhouse. Those days will be the most special to me when I get to be with them and have them all to myself. A time when we will play games, laugh and maybe take a ride to the park and rolld down the hills. A time to bond and hug and love each other up. A time for me to see how lucky I am to have these grandkids and still be alive to enjoy them after my personal battle with my health issues. A time to celebrate the connection between my grandkids and me. A chance to play games with them and take them out to the movies. A time of laughter at the antics of the five year old who is five going on twenty. Enjoying the shimmer of the Chirstmas tree I put up for them to enjoy and for me to enjoy as well. But most of all family time. That is what I look forward to the most. When the house is filled with laughter and song. When we share the foods we made and we sing and dance. A time for bonding and family and reverence for all that we have. A time to sing and play our instruments and a time to celebrate God's birth and the blessings that abound in our lives, especially God's beautiful and loving hands that embrace us and keep us safe.
This is a special year like no other because it starts with our family and celebratig who we are without censoring and without judgments from the past. It is a time to rejoice in our belief in God without any rebuttals and without non-believers around us. We chose to make this about us and if there is anyone out there that needs to be with someone they usually end up with us. That one person who is single or lost a spouse who needs to be with a family always manifests and we just say yes. The person who is alone and might need a family to be with will get invited or will simply manifest. It just happens organically every year that someone or maybe a couple of people find us and join us in our family festivities. Christmas would not be complete wthout those who need to find a place to be and we invite it. This holiday will not be about gifts, material parts but rather the joy and the love of family. There will be songs sung and dances danced and all will be well.
Elliott Collazo Gonzalez
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