It is only 17 days until Christmas.
Dear Lord, it feels like I have enjoyed nothing of the season at all.
Time seems to speed up at Christmas in ways that I do not fully understand. I am not quite sure why this happens, although there are always potential causes, of course: at work, everything that was supposed to be done at the end of the year (and some things that maybe were that nebulous category called "stretch goals") suddenly come to the fore, with everyone not only pushing you to complete your share, but reminding you that "as of X date, we will only processing emergency needs" (which, of course, means that everything is an emergency). At home, life becomes a flurry of activities and passing in and out of the basic "traditions of Christmas" and being other places.
And all of a sudden, Christmas is almost here and there seems to be nothing for it.
I have the best of intentions of course, always intending to participate fully in the season: listen to Christmas music, sing carols, reflect a lot, enjoy the trees and decorations. But meetings pile on top of meetings and activities on activities; it is unfortunate, but (strangely enough) listening to "The Carol of The Bells" as background music to a virtual meeting is frowned upon, for some (unknown) reason.
I wonder: does this speed of Christmas just increase as time goes one? Or am I missing some conscious bit of thinking and change that will get me there.
One thing is for sure: I would like Christmas to be more of a season, not just something else that seems to be a good idea in theory but never really pans out in practice.
Agree with the stretching Christmas season out. Its only been recently noticed that Thanksgiving already had a Christmas tree set up. As if to say 'Winter is Coming - On Your Mark - Get Set ..." Lights on residence exteriors were plugged in early December. Cars sported antlers, red nose grille guards. As if to say to the world "I'm Full of Christmas Cheer !"
ReplyDeleteBut the reflection of why we celebrate isn't until much later. Of Christ coming into our world and changing it. A lot of Good (and sometimes Evil - looking at you Grand Inquisition !) in Christ's name.
It is odd if you consider it - the season now effectively begins before October (at least commercially), yet it feels like it is the season is shorter than ever.
Delete(I am a fan of tastefully done Christmas lights though. I wish we would make them more of our standard decor).
And you are correct, the actual reason comes much later - it is just seems to me that we should have that sense of Christ coming throughout the season, not just stuffed in at the end.
Interesting about wanting to be Christmas more of a season. I agree, even if the modern lifestyle doesn't. The ancient feast days in the Bible were a week or so in length. And we have the infamous "12 Days of Christmas" song. Today's merchants try very hard to make it a season, although putting out Christmas decorations in October and playing so-called Christmas music in November doesn't seem to work.
ReplyDeleteWe used to do advent when my kids were small, with a wreath, and candles, and a daily evening devotional. I think that more than anything gave Christmas a seasonal sense for us.
Leigh, you have commented artfully about how we have lost a sense of seasonality (in the old sense, as "seasons" of the year) in a modern world where we are effectively insulated from all of this. This is probably just another manifestation of this - remove the reason for Christmas from Christmas, and what remains are a series of events and traditions removed from their moorings.
DeleteWhen Na Clann were smaller we had the same experience - partially because of the school they attended (A Christian one) really focused on that, partially because the crass commercialism could be somewhat ignored.
For me it's not just the Christmas season; life itself is moving at light speed. I find myself wanting to drag my toes to slow it down.
ReplyDeleteSbrgirl - what an insightful comment. I honestly had a different version of your thought yesterday. It does seem like time has speeded up tremendously and no matter how much more "efficient" I am, it is never enough.
DeleteI have been completely floored by the speed of the weeks since July. It has been a blur. Monday, Saturday, MondaySaturday, MondSat, Monday, Monday, Monday..... Never in my life have I seen it pass so fast.
ReplyDeleteChristmas as a kid was so much slower. The city put up those shiny lit angels on the street lamp poles downtown, there were different things for sale in stores, and everyone seemed happier.
Like you mentioned, Christmas is a rowboat that is floating unmoored by tradition. It just another in the cycle of ads, sales, timelines, and mindlessness. I yearn for the peacefulness I remember. Even during the VietNam war, the gas crunch / embargo, the stagflation and 'malaise' of the late 70's, there was a peacefulness during this season.
Even though I am at home recovering, I am hammered with deadlines and time crunches. Besides dragging my feet, I'm inclined to started taping wood blocks to driveshafts and pouring laundry soap on tile floors to make it slow down... or at least slip around some to give me time to maneuver...
STxAR, I wonder if part of what we see occurring is the fact that in the modern world, we have no "down" time: Everything is on 24/7/365. I go to sleep, and wake to a pile of e-mails in my in-box before I start work. We are on constantly at this point. I think part of the cause - not all, to be sure - is we live in a stream that is only, ever, pointing forward.
DeleteI am not a big fan of this time of year. As you allude too, everyone needs things done before the end of the year so it becomes way too busy for my liking. Then on top of that, the hordes of people racing here and there buying up all this crap that ends up in next year's trash can, take all the joy out of it for me. I really enjoy the second week of January through the end of February when it is too cold for many to go out and there isn't a lot of approaching holidays requiring my evenings. I savor those lazy weekends of sitting in front of the fireplace playing the occasional game or reading until I nod off.
ReplyDeleteEd, the 12 Days of Christmas sometimes makes a lot of sense for the very reason you speak of.
DeleteI also wonder - is this why some companies close their years out not in December, to alleviate this on top of the holiday season?
Fiscal years never really affected me much as a design engineer. The floor was always really busy in the lead up to Christmas trying to get enough production out the door so those buying it could take write-offs in that fiscal year but it rarely came back to me. By then, I had all my goals for the year completed and was just working on pet projects until my goals for the next year were defined, usually towards the end of January.
DeleteUnfortunately in my industry, we are effectively always in manufacturing, testing, or preparing to do both of the above - thus, the Christmas season is mostly driven by a combination of year end goal achievement and trying to keep projects moving.
DeleteLots of things to think about here, TB. I have mixed feelings about Christmas but try to rise above it all and focus and what's important: family getting together, the occasional quiet day or evening with the wife and of course the coming of Christ. I have to remind myself to slow down and appreciate all the blessings I have. I usually save a week of vacation for the last week of the year, so for me, work slows down. Merry Christmas to you and yours, TB.
ReplyDeleteBob - It can often be a mixed season for many (I remind myself even more every year that my experiences of overall happy Christmas are not everyone's). And it is less than desirable that work and the 7/24/365 world has come to just treat it as another month with a bit of vacation packed in for the year.
DeleteI am fortunate that my industry has essentially taken the week between Christmas and New Year's off for years, mostly because of the fact that other suppliers and manufacturer's do and thus (like Bob Crachit says to Scrooge), there is no one else to do business with. I appreciate the break, but it only seems to be the mad collapse after the rush.
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well, Bob.