Recently married, I am spending my first Christmas with my in-laws. As I sit here watching YTV, there are kids screaming, kids sitting beside me, dogs (3 of them) running around, and toys everywhere. It's a different scene in many ways from the Christmas' I knew growing up - yet, it's not. This Christmas is about learning new traditions, starting new traditions, and getting to know my new family better. All of which I expected - but what hadn't considered, and am delighted to discover, is that many qualities of Christmas are universal. The smell of the tree fills the air, the kids are excited, somebody is yelling at a football game while others are setting the table. The scenery has changed, and the people are new, but, for me, the feelings are the same. It's great to know that the pleasures of Christmas are a universal truth now matter where you are....right?
What a farce. How arrogant of me to think that two middle class families living in Canada provide a window of insight into a shared Christmas experience. "Oh, your new family also lives in a comfortable house in a nice neighbourhood? how profound of you to notice that Christmas is similar"
Of course there's no universal experience of Christmas time. What about the father who lost his jop, or the high school senior recently diagnosed with cancer, or the little girl growing up on the streets. These are realities, and the earth rotating around the sun passing through an arbitrary space in the solar system that humanity has labelled December 25th has no relevance those experiences.
Therefore, as I sit here enjoying my coffee, I'm grateful for my family, grateful that there are some shared Christmas experiences, and grateful that I fell in love with a girl that brings new joys and experiences into my life, while at the same time reinforcing my ideas of a loving family. Cheers to new traditions.
What a farce. How arrogant of me to think that two middle class families living in Canada provide a window of insight into a shared Christmas experience. "Oh, your new family also lives in a comfortable house in a nice neighbourhood? how profound of you to notice that Christmas is similar"
Of course there's no universal experience of Christmas time. What about the father who lost his jop, or the high school senior recently diagnosed with cancer, or the little girl growing up on the streets. These are realities, and the earth rotating around the sun passing through an arbitrary space in the solar system that humanity has labelled December 25th has no relevance those experiences.
Therefore, as I sit here enjoying my coffee, I'm grateful for my family, grateful that there are some shared Christmas experiences, and grateful that I fell in love with a girl that brings new joys and experiences into my life, while at the same time reinforcing my ideas of a loving family. Cheers to new traditions.
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