Special or Not, It's Another Year and Another Holiday Season

I decided to give this blog a second go for another holiday season. It
seemed like a contribution I could make to people around the world who
might be “Googling” the particular terms to help them survive and get
through the draining experience that is the holiday season.

I will aim to think globally in how I write this, but I admit that I
am going to focus on my experience and culture in the United States
since that is where I live and observe. In the United States, the
holiday season goes from the fourth Thursday in November through
January 1.
The holiday season in the United States is an intense time period. It
is an expectation of both the society and the national economy that
people as consumers will spend a lot more money than they do the rest
of the year to make it that special time.
It almost seems that the United States economy and culture kills the
golden goose. By the second week of November two radio stations in my
city of Louisville, Kentucky had converted to an all-Christmas music
format, playing Christmas music 24 hours per day. (I have heard Jingle
Bell Rock about 30 times already!) I saw Christmas merchandise
available by the third week of October. Business pushes early to make
the most of Christmas.

In the process of making the most of this time of year, I see so many people
wearing themselves out.    It makes me wonder about what we call special things.


Well isn't that special?
When something is special, it is supposed to be meaningful and it is
supposed to be joyful. It should provide some sense of fulfillment
where we hopefully feel some sense of wholeness and completeness, and
maybe happiness.
The holiday season as we know it in the United States and Canada is
almost like a bright light that shines on many of us exposes who we
are as people and what we have, but especially what we do not have.
The bright light of expectation makes us self-conscious of our family
dysfunction, our own grief and loss, and how much money we do not
have.
Speaking of money, this holiday season also sees what is essentially
an economic recession around the world where many people around the
world (including the United States) are out of work or under-employed
and do not have the money to get presents for their friends and family
members. For many there might something special on Thanksgiving and
Christmas Day, but it will not be much.
For many with the money, there will be pain that will still blight the
holidays. Maybe it is family members who just do not get along? Maybe
the blight on the holidays will be the sickness or loss of a loved one
(family, friend, or pet)? Maybe it will be a divorce? When there is a
high expectation, it does not seem to take much to wreck things.


Doomsday Worries

What also seems to muck things up for people this year is that the
Mayan Calendar was last composed through this year and allegedly ends
on December 21, 2012. Some people are worried about “doomsday.” I will
tell you that this is the only mention I will make of this because
1. I am a Christian and I believe God is in control,
2. I believe that only the God of the Bible knows when it will happen
(Mark 13:32), and
3. I think predicting when the world will end is futile and worthless,
and this blog is about imparting peace.

Well, my plan for each of my posts, I will be discussing a problem and
some options for coping. I am open to requests, if you are reading and
are looking for some ideas on a specific situation--make a comment at the
bottom of any post, and I will see what I can do. Here is hoping
that you have a meaningful and the best possible holiday season as you
survive.