-WHEN THE BLUES COINCIDE WITH THE HOLIDAYS
You’re not alone. In fact many people, at the onset of holiday time, begin to feel a mostly nondescript but unfriendly feeling in the pit of their stomach.
Is it nostalgia for the old days, when our whole family was there to celebrate and a great warmth and love pervaded over most everything? Some of us have those endearing memories, and it is all but impossible to recreate those feelings after the loss or losses of loved ones. We are older, have had some form of trauma in our lives, we have skated on thin ice to be at the place we are at now, and all the way through this trip we are warned in one way or another to let go of our belief in magic, in Santa Claus, in good overcoming evil…
I am one of those people that cry when Auld Lang Syne is played. I immediately begin to recall all the struggle, loss and trials throughout the year, and rather than it giving me a triumphant feeling that I “made it through”, it saddens me.
If we do not have young children to share the holidays with, it seems even more brutal, but it also smarts when your children get older, and the complications of life step in.
The “traditional” Holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas/ Hanukah and New Year’s Eve are ominous to those who are not given to falling in with the mainstream- I call holidays, such as Valentine’s Day “Hallmark Moments,” because mostly all of our holidays are pushed for the profit of the “Sentiment Sellers,” ie: Card companies, candy companies, etc. Yet to reject the shallow notions of a population that caves easily in the face of big advertising gives the “real” thinkers pause for thought. Most are inevitably led to follow the man made map of consumerism with the idea that one will feel better if a dozen red roses are purchased on February 14th for a loved one. But much like an old Hallmark card, the sentiments are lacking and is no substitute for real, solid actions to show how much you care.
Certainly not all of us have experienced beautiful holidays with our families in the past, but those of us who did realize that those memories and joys set the bar pretty high for future joyous holiday memories. We are not children anymore, and most of us no longer know the “protectiveness” of our Mothers and Fathers, or Grandmothers, Grandfathers, etc. but I do believe we still have that child inside us, the child that remembers how it was, and how beautiful and whole world could feel. Think of this for a moment.
These memories live on, and the spirit of them remains, always.
When you feel the Blues coming on as the holidays approach, remember that nothing ever dies, and every sadness or the apprehension you feel is only dust and debris that will one day form a star for you to wish on.
More info: corrinedewinter.com
