Posts Tagged ‘christmas’

It’s that time of year again.  Call it what you like.  Christmas, Festivus… or as I have taken to calling it this year, Bah-Frigging-Humbug.  Yeah, I’m not so much in the holiday spirit this year.

Except that I guess I am.

Or, rather, I realized this morning that I am no less in the spirit of the season right at this moment than I am all year long. That’s probably an important point of clarification.

I try, admittedly with a sarcastic bent, to keep the spirit of this so-called season in my heart throughout the year. It’s not always easy. In fact, on stabby days, it’s almost impossible. That one word there, ‘almost’, makes all the difference in the world.

I am so damn lucky to have that ‘almost’. I don’t give it to myself, either. That ‘almost’ is a gift to me, given by a hell of a lot of people. Those people give me the gift of a smile, or a giggle, or a big laugh. That ‘almost’ makes such a huge difference in my life.

This is my thank you to those people, for all of the times you have given me the gift of a brighter day. I am grateful to have people – you – who have helped me smile on the worst days; to you, who have made the good days even better.

To all the people I share my life with on various Social Media sites… Those social media sites that I take so much pleasure in taking the piss out of? Yeah, those. To all of you that I share time with on those sites, I thank you. I may not always tell you on a day-to-day basis that you’ve made a good difference in my life, or that you’ve made me smile, but I’m telling you now. I follow you for a reason, and that reason is that you make a positive difference in my life.

To the smaller group of people that I touch base with on a regular basis, I wish you all of the happiness that you have brought to me over this past year. The last year has been stellar, and getting to spend time – even virtually – with you has been fabulous. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday together, and that the next year brings all of you many smiles, chuckles, and warmth. I don’t just mean warm weather, either.

To those of you that share more of my life than just a tweet or a status update, I adore you. You help make every single day happy for me, even when I’m a snarky bitch. You help keep me sane, even when you are active participants in my insanity. You have, without a doubt, become a part of my life. If I have brought to your lives even half of what you’ve brought to mine, then I am grateful.

To a very small few, the ones that know they have a little bit of my heart, you are so much a part of my daily life that I can’t imagine that life without you. Nor do I want to. I wish you joy. I wish you love. I wish for you everything that you have brought to me, ten-fold. I can not tell you every day how much you mean to me, but please know that every day I don’t say it, you mean the world to me. You make me feel like the luckiest person in the world.

And finally, to those of you that have my whole heart; to those of you that know the real me and love me anyhow… the feeling is entirely mutual. Unreservedly, unwaveringly, and unfailingly. There is never a time when you are not in my thoughts, there is never a moment when I don’t carry you with me into the world. It couldn’t be any other way because you are the best part of my heart. Quite simply, I love you.

*ahem*

I am not going to be doing anything to celebrate Christmas this year.  After conferring with family – all one remaining members – I have opted out of the whole thing.  No tree, no shopping, no stress and no scheduled viewing of “A Christmas Carol”.

Y’know, unless I happen to see the version with Patrick Stewart.
I will watch that one.

You might be thinking that I’m going to be all bah-humbuggy about Xmas. That I will refuse to let the Xmas spirit fill me with it’s … yeah, I’m not going to finish that sentence. There’s no way I can do it without turning the spirit of the season into something that goes hump in the night.

Where was I? Oh, yes… Let me assure you, I will not be Scrooge-ing all over your Merry.

Much.

I do have two Xmas wishes that I think will help make the world a better place. Things that will make people smile. Fine, things that will make me smile. But I can’t be the only one whose Xmas will be happier than Tiny Tim’s if these wishes come true.

Wish One. I wish that a law would be passed that will require Matthew McConaughey to keep his damn shirt on. And put a bag over his head. And? Maybe if he could have his mouth sewn shut, or maybe have no voice EVER AGAIN, that’d be kinda cool, too. I don’t need to see that dude’s nipples ever again.

Wish Two. Replicators. Seriously, people, what’s the hold up on this one? The tech has to exist out there to make this happen. I want to be able to walk up to my kitchen replicator and say, “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot”, and I want it to know that I’m only saying that because I’m a geek – not because I actually want tea – and it will give me coffee instead. Also, not having to cook or do dishes would rock. But mostly, Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Why, Santie Claus? Why?

Stop looking at me like that.
I’m sure I have a heart-felt Christmas post in me somewhere.

In the meantime, is it so much to ask that Justin Bieber hit puberty, have his voice change, get bad acne, grow a skanky goatee and come down with nice case of herpes?

Didn’t think so.

Some things I’ve learned this year…

Christmas shouldn’t be a day in life, it should be a way of life.

There is nothing that we can do that will make a greater impact on those we love than to be there for them. There is nothing we can do that will have a greater positive effect on the people we share this planet with than to offer our hands, our hearts, in the hope that somehow, we can help them find peace. Not just one day a year, every day that we wake up with breath in our lungs.

Never stop trying to offer your hand, even if it’s refused. Do not give up because the intention is misconstrued. The one time you don’t offer it, may be when it’s needed most.

Christmas isn’t about presents, it’s about presence.

You are doing yourself a disservice if you are not present when life is occurring around you. Not present as in you’re standing there; present as in you are bearing witness to the world and your part in it.

Be aware of the beauty in your life. Pay attention to the things that are happening around you. Heroes are everywhere. Life changing moments fly past in the blink of an eye if you aren’t open to experiencing them.

If you think there is no beauty to behold in your life, I wish for you the presence of mind to be open to seeing it. It surrounds all of us, each and every day.

Family isn’t defined, it’s designed.

In the end, it isn’t genetics that tells us who our family is. In my darkest days this year, with almost no family – as defined by my DNA – left, my family was still there for me. The family of my choosing. Family as I design it. A family in which people love and respect each other not just for the good things, or even in spite of the bad things… But because all of those things are accepted and adored.

To my family… my brother, my friends… whether you are here with me in my home, or here with me in my heart? Know that I love you. For Christmas, I wish you all of the joy that you have brought into my life.

To the people that mean everything to me… you hold my heart and you hold my secret dreams. I know they are as precious to you as yours are to me. I wish for you the knowledge that I value you above all things, above all the riches in this or any life.

To everyone… I wish you the happiest of days. Not just tomorrow, but in all your days to come.