By Nadine Froese (empower969)

In recent years, the word Christ has been taken out of the word Christmas. What is the purpose of this celebration that has been recognized for hundreds of years in the Christian western society? Now with multi-culturalism everything is politically correct. Christmas has taken on a completely different meaning today than it did in holidays past.

Marketers have been spreading their good will with capitalism each year and it seems to start earlier into the season every year. Before Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Remembrance Day, big department stores begin to sell their Christmas items. Christmas time has become overly commercialized and the real meaning of Christmas lost.  In the beginning of November, you cannot even walk into a store without hearing Christmas music trying to send subliminal messages to customers and get them in the Christmas  mood wanting them to spend, spend , spend. The build up of the Christmas season creates so much hype and anticipation and then within a couple of days, it is all over with  and  many times, a big letdown.

The Christmas season brings up a lot of mixed emotions for people. The pressure from the media and the department store distributers to buy their Christmas products causes anxiety, and that feeling of not having enough money to get presents for everyone.

Christmas is a difficult time for me as well. I have unpleasant memories of Christmas as a child where there was lots of drinking and violence in the family home. As an adult I have tried to change my perception of what Christmas is all about. There were times as an adult where I would dread the holidays and become a bit depressed. I do not have a family of my own and have been single for many years, never married. Also my parents and sibling live far away from me and it is difficult to see them at this time of year. There have even been some unpleasant Christmases with my family since I have been an adult as well where I really did not want to celebrate the holidays anymore at all.

I have been alone at Christmas on a number of occasions. One time I had just moved to a new city and I knew no one. So,  I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and I wanted to do something meaningful. It was too short of notice to lend a hand at the local soup kitchen, so on Christmas Eve I actually decided to go volunteer on Christmas Eve at a Nursing Home full of seniors who were also alone. The nurses told me I was a God send that evening as they were short staffed. I think I enjoyed my time there visiting the seniors more s than they enjoyed having me.  It felt really good to give back to the community and share my time with people who were alone without visitors on Christmas Eve. This was a memorable time for me.

One year I decided to get away and go to a tropical destination by myself and celebrate the holidays in a different way. I thoroughly enjoyed myself going to a different place away from all of the hustle and bustle of the busy holiday season. Away from shopping malls, traffic and the stress you see in everyone during this hectic time of year.

Surviving the holidays is a challenge. Christmas is not just about the presents, or the tree, or the turkey and all the trimmings. Whether you are a religious person or not, Christmas should be recognized as a time to be with loved ones and to enjoy the gift of giving. Even if a person does not have anyone to spend time with during the holidays, try to find something that gives an individual personal meaning. There is way too much emphasis put on Christmas and then before you know it, it has come and gone for another year. Perhaps finding a place of solitude, turning off the TV from all of the distractions of Christmas advertisements, go outside and build a snowman, make snow angels, go for a walk and feel the crisp winter air. Read a good book, watch a funny movie, but try to do something that makes you feel happy and not feel down. Order food in , volunteer to help out the needy during the holidays, spend time with a pet or a child. Try to create your own unique vision of what Christmas is all about. I hope this year you will be able to experience the true meaning and spirit of Christmas in your own way whether its in a traditional way or non-traditional. I wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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