Looking into our Heart at Christmas

 What fuels our excitement these days? Do we still feel the spirit of Christmas amid this pandemic and the spate of killings in the country? The happenings around us might be disheartening, but let's not lose that joie de vivre especially during this festive and joyous season when we commemorate the birth of Jesus.

So, if you’re like me who knows that getting excited to celebrate Christmas means waking up early these days, even before the alarm goes off, to have coffee and to switch on the lights on the tree and the garland, then the most awaited season of the year is, indeed, just around the corner. How do we celebrate the season then? Aside from the usual gatherings around the Noche Buena tables with our families which is followed by the unwrapping of gifts, having alone time can benefit our inner lives more than the satisfaction that comes from what we receive. This personal tradition may signal our annual renewal in which the spirit of the season enables us to go home, not to the physical kind, but to the one inside: our sweet hearts. Surely, it can sometimes be burdened by the troubles of life. Like this year, there's the pandemic, the typhoons, the spate of killings, the toxic political atmosphere in the national government, and the obvious difficulties that every person in the country experiences, and even though we may have our personal struggles, performing this spiritual cleanse may help us cope with what lies ahead.

Every Christmas season is a chance for us to renew our faith in a Higher Power that has been watching over us and our families, providing protection and means in any occasion, and keeping the bond within the family strong even when we are apart. This is the time that we may also reimagine ourselves. We may shed off the old ways of thinking, and of behaving and dealing with others that do not help in strengthening our relationships. As we try to reflect on what we find unsustainable, we may begin to create resolutions that will help us thrive for another year, expecting the unexpected and being ready for it. This ritual may also allow us to appreciate our strengths and to fortify our foundations where ever we may be. As often as possible, we need to practice kindness, generosity, empathy, and service without expecting any in return. Let’s consider this as our contribution to humanity. We may not even want to engage in idle talks or to discuss other people and their frailties. Let’s rather love them by letting them be and staying out of their way if we’re not comfortable with them. In this way, we get to protect our own energy from being contaminated, hence, we have enough of it to go around and nurture our relationships with the precious people in our lives.