Ding-Dong-Merrily on High… the lights of the festive season are flickering again in windows and eager children’s eyes, mistletoes glisten, and industrious ovens are spreading — tantalisingly — the irresistible aroma of Christmas cookies all over exuberant homes. A magic spirit of peacefulness and harmony is carried into many an earthling’s heart, often much to the surprise of family and neighbours… Hosannah in excelsis!
What does it matter then that the Christian origins of Christmas are mostly forgotten, that “Santa Claus” is nothing but a commercial aberration of poor St. Nicolaus of Myra (or “Sinterklaas”, name under which the Bishop had been imported to “Nieuw Amsterdam” by Dutch settlers), and that an Americanised and secularised “Holiday Season” has lost much of its traditional decorum and contemplativeness….
It matters little, I will argue. Since Christmas was declared an official holiday in 336 AD it has attracted many different rituals and traditions. (By the way, the idea to give presents to children is only two centuries old!) Lodged somewhere between sacredness and solstice, mythology and eschatology, Christmas celebrations have ever since captured imagination and reverie all over the world.
And, importantly so. Beyond festive cheer (and commercial abuse), the event continues to bear testimony to an important truth: becoming our best self is a choice… It is not about finding time to do special things — it is about doing ordinary things in a way that makes our time special. Living well needs existential togetherness — a benevolent transcendence from selfishness and egocentrism; and it feeds on the deeply-felt desire for immortality and salvation — for ideals of hope, of faith, of justice and love. However configured, Christmas symbolically reminds us of that joyful and powerful spirit — the “Christ” — in all of us. A force for good that can turn any season into a feast of humanity.
Maybe, then, in a year characterised so much by calamity and crisis, by bigotry and incompetence, by injustice and inequality… we should all inhale an extra dose of Christmas wisdom and commit to carry the festive enchantment far into 2023, to make this world a tiny bit better, together…
All good & joy for the holidays and a wonderful New Year!
#leadership #transformation #goodorganisation #personaldevelopment #becausegoodmatters
From: “Sunday Morning Thoughts on LinkedIn” — I will report some of the interesting LinkedIn dialogues here, paraphrased and applying the Chatham House Rule — trying to protect some of the sentiments, thoughts, and above all our stimulating discussions from oblivion ;-)
