reflections on the start of the holiday season

i think that there is a real reason to cling to and fight for the oftentimes lost traditions of the holiday season. today, where christmas begins in october (or even earlier), thanksgiving is forgotten in the shadow of "black friday" (and is reduced to an excuse for gluttony), and much of december will be lost to the commercial world as we rush hither and tither in search of "gifts," the spirit of the season is too often drowned out. there is a lot of chatter about charity and thankfulness, and lots of mass-produced cards will be sent across great distances with wishes of "peace on earth" or "joy" printed on the front. but, to my mind, those things too often ring false. there is a difference between a sentiment printed on paper a thousand times over and one that is written just once on your heart.

we need to learn (or remember) at this time of year that the value the season is not to be found in shopping malls or anything else so artificial and mass produced. instead, it is to be found in the faces of friends, the warmth of a hearth, the laughter of family, and the smells of multi-generational recipies once again working their magic in the kitchen. this time of year is a time for family, no matter how scattered, to return home and share a few special days together. it's a reason to pause and reflect; to use history and religion as lenses through which to see our own small lives in a greater perspective. it's a time for celebrating the simple joys of good food and good company. and more than anything else, it is a time to be reminded of everything we have to be grateful for.
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it is exceedingly strange to be entering the holiday season so many miles away from home. yesterday was thanksgiving, but here was just another day. it would have been very easy for me to let it pass without the normal amount of reflection that comes from the ritual of celebration at home, and it nearly did. but then, i came back to my room after a long and enjoyable day, and back to the realization of all that i was missing out on by not being at home right now. then, instead of being struck down by melancholy (though there were a few pangs) i thought of the reason why i am not home this year, and was struck by how amazing my life is sometimes. this is truly one of those times. here's a short list that i jotted down last night of things that i have to be grateful for. many of them are things that i have only discovered since being here, others have been confirmed through my experience of distance, and others are simply true.

i am thankful for, in no particular order:

1. hats that keep the rain off of my glasses
2. long letters, and short ones too
3. home cooking
4. my healthy body
5. friends who love me and support me across thousands of miles
6. having a place to call my own, even if i'm not there right now
7. my brother's ridiculous sense of humor
8. my dad's quiet fortitude
9. the opportunity to be here in england, and soon traveling in europe as well
10. trains
11. frisbees
12. skype
13. good music
14. chocolate
15. uncontrollable laughter
16. erik
17. my mom's wisdom
18. air mail
19. that my sister is getting the chance to put herself out in the world, all on her own
20. my extended family that continues to encourage and inspire me
21. this good earth, and all the gifts that it provides for us
22. stunning vistas
23. cold wind
24. loneliness and tears
25. new friends
26. my unconventional childhood
27. books
28. caffe nero and its amazing coffee
29. poetry (read, written, shared)
30. my journal and my writing notebook
31. tights worn under jeans
32. people's capacity for beauty and kindness
33. scarves and peacoats
34. having a home to return to when this period of my life comes to a close, as it is rapidly doing


i hope that you all find yourselves overwhelmed with gratitude for your own lives and all that they encompass, here at the opening of this special season. may that sentiment carry through the rest of the holiday season, and not be lost in the cacophony of commercialism. and enjoy especially being at home for the holidays this year, because some of us won't be.

b