I usually think of the Christmas season the way I think of knee pain; I remain completely unaware of it until it's there and I have no choice. (Though both are sometimes minor irritants, I happily admit that the holiday season is, at least for me, usually more pleasant than knee pain.) Today, two weeks after Thanksgiving, I had no choice.
My wife and I set out for the mall today, as is our wont on Saturdays. We usually don't shop, but go there to buy groceries at Trader Joe's, maybe go the the library, as we did today, or eat at Nordstrom's, which we also did today. It was very crowded; we had a lot of difficulty finding a parking space in the immense mall garage. The spot we found was quite a distance from the grocery store. Meshuggene Goyim, I grumbled to myself. That feeling quickly passed. The crowds indicated that the economy, despite lunatic efforts by Republicans to weaken it, is finally growing stronger. I must confess that I felt uplifted--after I found a parking space, that is--by the impending holidays. Festive lights and decorationas at the darkest time of year are just what those combatting the threat of wintry etiolation need. Even Christmas songs in moderation can make me feel, well, jolly, although if I worked in a place like Trader Joe's where Christmas music is played continuously during the holiday season, I would go nuts. I don't go nuts because I celebrate the season in a low-key manner.
Although our family endures only a minimal amount of holiday stress, it is apparently a widespread problem. Heart attacks significantly increase during the Christmas season, a good indicator that there is underlying stress. The purpose of this little essay is to give some advice to those whose blood pressure is likely to rise at this time of the year--what works for me just might work for you!
Contrary to a popular misconception, Santa has nothing to do with suicides. The yearly peak in the suicide rate occurs in the spring, presumably because a depressed person is likely to become more desperate when an expected spring boost in spirits doesn't arrive. It is thought that the suicide rate doesn't increase at Christmas because people get together, and getting together is beneficial even when one does not get along well with relatives and friends. Stress, however, is rampant during this time. People overshop, overbake, overeat and undersleep; far from perfect, they try to create a perfect Christmas experience for themselves and their families. Perhaps Buddha is the best guide here: the root cause of mental stress is inordinate desire. Desire to have the Perfect Experience. Desire to be admired. Desire not only to give, but to receive in abundance. Desire to be Super Mom--Oh, there are so many desires!
Recently my wife and I watched on YouTube the underside of jolly holiday vignettes: people rudely pushing each other to get the latest toys; in some cases, they were actually slugging and tackling each other. We couldn't imagine ever wanting to possess a Fleebertie, or whatever the latest must-have gadget is called, that much. Have we forgotten that what is important in life are relationships, not things? You betcha.
As mentioned previously, we had to park quite a distance from Trader Joe's. We don't mind walking, but not when laden with groceries. So my wife went to get the car on an upper level of the garage, while I waited on the lowest level. The garage traffic was bumper-to-bumper. Here I am, breathing carbon monoxide for Christ, I grumbled. Then I struck up a conversation with a woman waiting beside me. She laughed as she recalled when someone had stolen her parking space, years ago, at the mall. Not only had she been there first, but she was actually backing into a space when the guy zoomed in from the side. He simply said, "Too bad!" and left. We laughed. I told her about the parable of the cow in the parking lot. When we discover that a human being has stolen our parking space, we can get furious. But if we discover that a cow has wandered into our parking space, we remain calm. In both cases, the parking space is gone, but one's reaction is different. Perhaps we should stay calm and treat rude humans the same way we would treat placid cows--even though they may act more like bulls! If we did, the people who make blood pressure medications might have to go out of business--Too bad!, I said. We laughed again. When my wife finally came, the woman wished me a Merry Christmas and I wished her one back. I had had no expectation of having a pleasant chat in that awful garage, which made the encounter even more enjoyable.
I think the reason why I'm happy during the Christmas season is that I have really low expectations. I don't expect Christians to completely follow the example of a non-Christian like me--they of course shouldn't--but I am convinced they would have a better and deeper Christmas experience if they calmed things down a little. Maybe a lot.
Our family does, by the way, get together on Christmas day. We are, though, a group of mostly born-again (and again and again and again) Hindus. My wife's sister, Shyamala, puts up a (dinky) Christmas tree beside which we exchange (dinky) presents. And we have a great time.
I hope you have a great time this holiday season; I hope you deeply realize throughout the year that you are the recipient of the greatest gift of all Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Addendum: Here is a dinky arrangement I made of a famous song.
My wife and I set out for the mall today, as is our wont on Saturdays. We usually don't shop, but go there to buy groceries at Trader Joe's, maybe go the the library, as we did today, or eat at Nordstrom's, which we also did today. It was very crowded; we had a lot of difficulty finding a parking space in the immense mall garage. The spot we found was quite a distance from the grocery store. Meshuggene Goyim, I grumbled to myself. That feeling quickly passed. The crowds indicated that the economy, despite lunatic efforts by Republicans to weaken it, is finally growing stronger. I must confess that I felt uplifted--after I found a parking space, that is--by the impending holidays. Festive lights and decorationas at the darkest time of year are just what those combatting the threat of wintry etiolation need. Even Christmas songs in moderation can make me feel, well, jolly, although if I worked in a place like Trader Joe's where Christmas music is played continuously during the holiday season, I would go nuts. I don't go nuts because I celebrate the season in a low-key manner.
Although our family endures only a minimal amount of holiday stress, it is apparently a widespread problem. Heart attacks significantly increase during the Christmas season, a good indicator that there is underlying stress. The purpose of this little essay is to give some advice to those whose blood pressure is likely to rise at this time of the year--what works for me just might work for you!
Contrary to a popular misconception, Santa has nothing to do with suicides. The yearly peak in the suicide rate occurs in the spring, presumably because a depressed person is likely to become more desperate when an expected spring boost in spirits doesn't arrive. It is thought that the suicide rate doesn't increase at Christmas because people get together, and getting together is beneficial even when one does not get along well with relatives and friends. Stress, however, is rampant during this time. People overshop, overbake, overeat and undersleep; far from perfect, they try to create a perfect Christmas experience for themselves and their families. Perhaps Buddha is the best guide here: the root cause of mental stress is inordinate desire. Desire to have the Perfect Experience. Desire to be admired. Desire not only to give, but to receive in abundance. Desire to be Super Mom--Oh, there are so many desires!
Recently my wife and I watched on YouTube the underside of jolly holiday vignettes: people rudely pushing each other to get the latest toys; in some cases, they were actually slugging and tackling each other. We couldn't imagine ever wanting to possess a Fleebertie, or whatever the latest must-have gadget is called, that much. Have we forgotten that what is important in life are relationships, not things? You betcha.
As mentioned previously, we had to park quite a distance from Trader Joe's. We don't mind walking, but not when laden with groceries. So my wife went to get the car on an upper level of the garage, while I waited on the lowest level. The garage traffic was bumper-to-bumper. Here I am, breathing carbon monoxide for Christ, I grumbled. Then I struck up a conversation with a woman waiting beside me. She laughed as she recalled when someone had stolen her parking space, years ago, at the mall. Not only had she been there first, but she was actually backing into a space when the guy zoomed in from the side. He simply said, "Too bad!" and left. We laughed. I told her about the parable of the cow in the parking lot. When we discover that a human being has stolen our parking space, we can get furious. But if we discover that a cow has wandered into our parking space, we remain calm. In both cases, the parking space is gone, but one's reaction is different. Perhaps we should stay calm and treat rude humans the same way we would treat placid cows--even though they may act more like bulls! If we did, the people who make blood pressure medications might have to go out of business--Too bad!, I said. We laughed again. When my wife finally came, the woman wished me a Merry Christmas and I wished her one back. I had had no expectation of having a pleasant chat in that awful garage, which made the encounter even more enjoyable.
I think the reason why I'm happy during the Christmas season is that I have really low expectations. I don't expect Christians to completely follow the example of a non-Christian like me--they of course shouldn't--but I am convinced they would have a better and deeper Christmas experience if they calmed things down a little. Maybe a lot.
Our family does, by the way, get together on Christmas day. We are, though, a group of mostly born-again (and again and again and again) Hindus. My wife's sister, Shyamala, puts up a (dinky) Christmas tree beside which we exchange (dinky) presents. And we have a great time.
I hope you have a great time this holiday season; I hope you deeply realize throughout the year that you are the recipient of the greatest gift of all Have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Addendum: Here is a dinky arrangement I made of a famous song.
No comments:
Post a Comment