Christmas and the Lost Time

Christmas celebration

by PJ Mann

We all love the Christmas holidays, regardless the belief, it is a time when we look around and feel inspired with the meaning of being together, at peace, and understand what is really important in life.

Christmas celebration has a very long tradition, it falls far before Christianity, but the meaning has never changed, and it is an invitation to open your heart to the others, like a memento of what life should be really about.

One example is the celebration for the Saturnalia from the 17th to the 23rd of December during the Roman Empire, a holiday dedicated to Saturnus.
During this period there were sacrifices made in the temples dedicated to Saturn, public banquets and carnival-like celebrations on the streets of Rome.

The masters prepared a banquet for their slaves, as a token of appreciation for their loyalty, and those were free to speak their mind about their masters without fearing any punishment.
They exchanged gifts and tried to give and receive happiness.

That sounds much like what we are doing today doesn't it?
Regardless of the history and the practices, beliefs or non-beliefs, this is a period to share good feelings, to promise a better future, to ask forgiveness for the times we have not been so kind to our neighbors and give forgiveness.

Nowadays, Christmas still keeps its meaning, but it has become a sort of obsessive run against the time to get the perfect gift for our dear ones and prepare the menu for the dinners/lunches. The peace of the period is spoiled by the contrasting hurry at our working place because December is the month that closes the fiscal year, so all the projects have to be concluded, sent and archived.
This means that before leaving for the Christmas holidays, we need to push our working schedule like crazy. Of course, this also means that our free time is drastically reduced to a few hours where we are supposed to take care of the ordinary chores at home, and the extra preparation for the incoming holidays.

Let's then not talk about the case when children are involved. Families with small children in this period are subjected to an extra amount of stress, and then the holidays resemble more a curse than a blessing.

So long peace!

This means that Christmas has slowly transformed into a run against the time, but where are we supposed to get some extra time to fulfill all our schedules?
Whoever has an answer, is kindly requested to share it with the whole world, so that we can award him/her with the Nobel prize for peace next year.

Nevertheless, there is a reward in all this stress. That is when finally we seat at the dinner table, and finally, we can enjoy the company of our dear ones.
We can take off our shoes, and with a content smile, we look around at the happy faces of the people that make all this run worth.

Now we can finally enjoy it!
Have a Merry Christmas or peaceful holidays, whatever your beliefs are!

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Tricia Drammeh

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Great article! My daughter and I were recently discussing how stressful the holidays have become. Like you said here, it really does feel like a race against time to get everything done. We get so focused on making everything perfect we forget how to enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas to you, PJ. I hope you have a relaxing and fulfilling holiday season.

 

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Tricia Drammeh via Google+

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

PJ Mann talks about Christmas traditions and how today's holiday celebrations have changed.

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Patty MacFarlane

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

With the exception of hoodies, warm socks, and gloves which my boys have come to expect (and are thrilled to get) every Christmas, I prefer to give very special gifts that can become keepsakes. To eliminate some of the stress, I begin shopping in January. When packages arrive I stash them in my secret closet. I can't tell you how much stress and money that saves me because it keeps me out of the stores...I'm a bit of an impulse buyer. Since all my kids are grown with big families of their own, we often don't all get together on Christmas day but see each other and exchange gifts between Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany. I usually go to Midnight Mass with one family and have Christmas dinner with another--most often the one with the youngest grandchildren.
Merry Christmas, PJ,
Patty MacFarlane

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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Author PJ Mann shares some tibits about the traditions that surround the Christmas time period and how the holiday rush, rush, rush affects our modern lives. Have a wonderful holiday season everyone! #OurAuthorGang

 

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Ruth de Jauregui

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Awwww, so true! Pretty much all of my shopping was done online (books!) this year, so except for a little baking, I'm pretty much done. Thank you so much for your post today, PJ! Great job!!

 

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Toi Thomas via Google+

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Today, PJ Mann - Author​ offers some perspective on the reality of the holiday season compared to the meaning. #OurAuthorGang

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Erika M Szabo

1 month ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Christmas should be giving, caring, family get together but through the years it turned into a shopping frenzy and competition of who gives more expensive presents. To me, Christmas is a magical time of cozy fires, long talks, watching heartwarming movies with family and friends.

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Eva Pasco

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Points well-taken!

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Erika M Szabo shared this via Google+

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Let there be light - part 1 #OurAuthorGang

Nature is amazing. We humans are, for the most part, in awe of it and have been ever since we crawled out of the primal ooze. Nothing stirs the soul quite so much as a beautiful sunset, a sunrise, a mass of twinkling stars, or the constant glow of the moon.

The sun gives us light and warmth, stars make us wonder about far off worlds, the moon illuminates our darkness with its wide-eyed face looking down on us like a distant mother watching her children. 

Not surprising that mankind worshipped these celestial orbs. From Ancient Egyptians and Aztec
sun gods to modern day Druids worshiping Alban Hefin the sun king during the Summer Solstice sunrise over Stonehenge, our need for light is deep routed in our psysche.

Many writers have used light to express happiness, love, hope, expectation. Just listen to some songs, the word 'light' comes up quite often. In my short story Glimmer, the protagonist, a young man resisting the drugs he is given to keep him 'sane', retreats into his own world and listens for the voices that come from the stars.

The world will not end because I close my eyes. The sun will still shine, so too the stars.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H89AN1M 

Many religions past and present have celebrated the joys of light. Festivals and special feast days such as Diwali, a Hindu tradition where families fill their homes and gardens with candles and lamps to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, to ignite wisdom in our hearts and bring hope to our darkest hours. The Jewish festival Hanukkah celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Hellenistic Syrians begins with the lighting of the shamash candle in the menorah. Christians light candles to honour the dead and pray for loved ones who need help. At Christmas, we decorate our houses with strings of cloloured lights

When there is no light, we miss it, don’t we? People in general, aren’t fond of the dark. Danger lurks in the shadows. What we can’t see we fear. Not so for cats or owls. They have a tapetum behind their retinas which acts like a mirror to reflect any source of limited light causing their pupils to expand and cover the entire front of their eyes. Enabling them to see in the almost dark.

Humans are adaptable though, and what we don’t possess naturally, we create. Our ancient ancestors recreated the sun by making fire. As we evolved so to did our methods of lighting our homes and streets. The ancient wood burning led to the use of wax candles, then gas lights, which were replaced by the magic of electricity, light bulbs. However, there is a cost to all of this. These wonderful illuminations have put a huge burden on our resources. Fossil fuels needed to generate our bright world are coming to an end. Even with wind turbines and solar panelling we are still in danger of not have enough power to generate all of the lights that are turned on across the planet each night. Will future generations be plunged into darkness?

Perhaps not, for there may be a simple solution to all of this.

Both fauna and flora have naturally occurring light sources. The Firefly, squid, jellyfish, insects, plankton and some strains of fungi, emit a bright glow that is generated from within. No outside source of energy is needed to produce their brightness.

Let me introduce you to Bioluminescence. Possibly the next step in our search for sustainable and renewable energy that will bring light to our darkness.

Check out these amazing creatures that glow in the dark: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21011428

Watch out for my next post – Foxfire - where new technical advances are using natures natural light to brighten our world.

All photographs are by the author.

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