Holidays

If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas. If you celebrate Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah. It's not until tomorrow, but if you celebrate Kwanzaa, Joyous Kwanzaa. If you're more Yule oriented, Yule tidings to you. If none of those fits your condition but you still celebrate something, Happy Holidays and I'm sorry I don't know what your celebration is because I'd probably love celebrating it. And if even that isn't broad enough to capture your spirit, have a great day.

That was inclusive, I hope, but I didn't say it that way because I'm afraid of offending someone. I did it because it's nice to celebrate, even if all you're celebrating is life in general. I shouldn't need an excuse to celebrate life, but unfortunately I and many other people do. So celebrate and don't worry why. Whether it's a baby, a fat man, a harvest, the closing of the year, a lamp, the victory of life over death, or any of the myriad of other reasons to be joyous, and whether it's today, tomorrow, next week, or any day you like, celebrate with me.

The new year may bring changes. It may be scary to let go of old ways, to step from the warmth of a dying fire into the snow. You may be tempted, as I am, to grab hold of the last days of this year, to hold fast to the sand slipping through your fingers, to convince yourself that you're savoring them rather than just wrapping them around you like armor made of tissue paper in the rain. But I can't stop the inexorable creep of time. I can only decide if I want the spiral to creep down or up.

Savor, by all means. but don't hold tight. Take hold of someone's hand, someone you love, and go out. The snow is cold but it's calling for footprints to be left, for brave souls to venture out and build castles and snowmen and leave stories in the tracks they make, to blaze new trails, to walk away from old winter and out into the spring, even if the spring seems like it won't ever come. And maybe it's not snowing where you are (I know it isn't where I am, because I don't think I'll ever have a white Christmas unless I make the snow myself) but that's okay; leave the huddled, gathering cold in your heart and go out anyway. We're all scared, deep down. We all want things to be alright. We're all together.

Peace and love. And celebration. That's what holidays are about. That's what every day should be about.