And What Are Your Other Holiday Plans?

Now that Thanksgiving 2020 is a memory, except for the left-overs in the refrigerator, our focus will be turning to Christmas. Unfortunately, it, too, will be tainted by Covid-19 and I expect will feel even more so than Thanksgiving did. The holiday season has always been a difficult one for those who tend to depression. And now some people who typically are not so inclined are finding themselves feeling sad and depressed. It's easy to understand how the cumulative effects of this pandemic year can do that. I would expect that there will be few of us this year that won't be dealing with a least a few feelings of sadness and loss. In fact, some people have already started to try to create more positive feelings by putting up their Christmas decorations early. Christmas decorations are something that tend to make all of us happy, no matter our age. One woman in England put it this way when asked about why she was decorating early this year, “I know to some it might sound silly, but having my decorations out and knowing that the coronavirus can’t take away the magic I feel around Christmas time makes me feel so happy and joyous after such a depressing year." It makes sense to me. It probably won't take me long after I get home to get out the few decorations I still have. I think there is a very positive about joining others on your street and community in making your environment as festive as possible. One of my traditions is having candles in my windows for the holiday. This tradition is practiced by many all over the world and is not necessarily connected with anything religious. In fact, placing a lit candle in the window has been an indication of "welcome" for hundreds of years. At other times candles have been placed in the window when a family member was away or if a friend or family member had died to remember them, symbolically letting the rest of the world know they are missed. It was also seen as a silent prayer for the safe return of an absent person and a sign that someone remained at home tending the fire and waiting. This is a touching tradition that helps families remember loved ones. I have a lot of windows in my house, but I only put candles in eleven of them. However, they shine their light out to both the front and back of my house. I know that decorating for Christmas has usually been done more by those practicing the Christian faith. But I would like to suggest to others that maybe this year, regardless of our beliefs, we should all try to decorate in some way as a symbol of recognizing that we have all been in this together this year, and that we know that it will take all of us working together to get to the other side. Back in the 1950's Perry Como immortalized a song called "One Little Candle" that I think speaks well about doing something so simple regardless of your beliefs. Here are the lyrics of the last verse:

Let's all light one little candle,

Why stumble on in the dark?

When the day is dark an' dreary,

And your way is hard to find,

Don't let your heart be weary,

Just keep this thought in mind!