It’s that time of year again, it’s Christmas. It brings up a mixed range of emotions from ‘can’t wait for it’ to dread, pressure,stress, to ‘wishing it was over’. There is so much commercialism and consumerism that it is very easy to get caught up in the pressure and panic to have that perfect Christmas. 

There is the underlying message that Christmas is the perfect time of year, it is about the perfect family, the perfect gift, the perfect meal, the perfect holiday, etc. It  is so difficult not to buy into some or all of this. If Christmas was to be stripped bare what would we be left with? That would be an interesting challenge!  Christmas is about celebrating the beginning of new life, it is the end of the darkest and shortest day of the year and it is about renewal, growth, sharing, giving and receiving. It can also be about connecting with friends and family, forgiveness and letting bygones be bygones.It is simply a celebration of life. It is a very basic and simple message but one that gets lost in the hype of expectation and consumerism.

Perhaps it’s time to reacquaint ourselves with the simplicity of Christmas. This can bring us joy, a sense of connection and fulfillment which is there waiting for us to really experience it. There is beauty in simplicity.

© Copyright 2012 Anne-Marie Hearne