This special day of 2019 will be remembered for being unseasonably warm. 50 degrees forecast. Full sun and then some cloud cover. Not in the single digits with snow covered landscapes.
A few times in the past, we shared Christmas with parents in California and Arizona. Those days were memorable and very odd for us. So used to Illinois Winter, especially surrounding the Holidays. Those trips were oddly percussive. Abundant warmth and sunlight. Smells of trees, plants and flowers abloom. Grass growing and being mowed. Fresh air off the desert and from the mountains. Spicy herbs and drought resistant plant life. Redolence of times from my youth, but not for my kids. Strange and fresh for them; for me a haunting reminder of so many years ago.
Christmas is a cultural phenomenon for us. It has special mysteries. We know it means something larger than ourselves, but what exactly is never fully known. It is a hope for the coming of time. The future entices but does not control the present. No; the present is very much in control of Christmas. What does it mean now? What will it bring? Who will be a part of that? and who will be absent from our gatherings?
Time shifts all of these elements. It is kaleidoscopic, tumbling images, each with their own allure. Each with a beckoning to leave the past and the present for the future. Age plays its role, unfolding new awareness of both the old and the new. Perspectives change. The tots and young children are in their amazement age; elders are not. We note the chasms time brings. We ponder that. we wonder that. We appreciate the added timeline of experience.
So much we take for granted. And yet time moves on, gathering new bits and pieces that now are part of our story, our biography.
The wonders of the universe are many and joyous. This is a day to appreciate.
The worries and troubles will have their time tomorrow and the days after. Let this day be one of peace, quiet, and loving joy.
Merry Christmas.
December 25, 2019
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