Christmas and the entire holiday season can bring with it a caravan of memories right from childhood. It could be the sound of carols everywhere you go; it could be the smell of freshly made goodies; or, it could be the fairy lights your parents struggled to unwind every year.
Fast forward to a decade and a half later and the thrill of the holidays has become the pressure of the holidays when I race through it all trying to make sure all my bases are covered: home, work, family and friends. The lights are still a mystery.
Coincidentally, this year, my reading list had A Christmas Carol at just the right time. Now, I’m no Ebenezer Scrooge. I thought I loved Christmas till I realized I loved the memory of it more. So, I decided to listen to what the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future had to say:
Ghost of Christmas Past – The best memories do not have to remain in the past. It’s wonderful to recreate them today too, adding a few twists and turns of my own!
Ghost of Christmas Present – There’s so much going on around me! It’s a time of plenty for some and a time of need for some. Not just financially, but the burden of other responsibilities can be overwhelming too. Can I attempt to tip the scale and make someone’s day just a little bit brighter? Perhaps a warm cup of coffee and conversation is all it takes.
Ghost of Christmas Future – This was the most unsettling specter of them all, so my takeaway here is going be a bit dark, I thought. I was pleasantly surprised though: I’m creating fond memories for my loved ones to look back on someday (read: heaving a collective sigh of relief every evening when the tree stood safe from the clutches of the resident pest, err pet).
Mr. Dickens has some sound advice to wind up with: "For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself."
