by Victor Cherubim
How to get the most out of Christmas must surely be on the minds of many around the world this year. There is nothing stopping from adapting the festive season to virtually any way you want it to unravel. You can choose the level of happiness you want to benefit out of the
Christmas is
special to many people in so many ways.
Christmas is
a time of good cheer, of reconciliation and of friendship. Christmas will
not be called
its name, without the birth of Christ. Sure, one of the main events of
Christmas is the singing of carols in preparation for Midnight Mass, the
opening of gifts, but part of the fun beforehand is wrapping them.
Carols are a
treasure of culture. The words and music just transport you to a different
place and capture the true meaning of Christmas. It can also make you forget
the past with the present.
This year in
particular, the days leading towards Christmas around the world have been worrying.
Whether you had to shoulder the load of what happened in Sri Lanka since 26
October 2018 or the confusion, delusion or illusion of Brexit in Britain,
people around the world have accepted the turbulent times and have adjusted to
it.
It is very
easy to say “no worries,” as you leave the baggage and the "bro ha"
that have accompanied the scary events. But until we forget the past and start
anew, the constant fear of the unknown may daunt us.
Identify your incentive for living
Since the
dawn of time humans have looked, if fact searched outside of their environment,
to the supernatural for guidance, for the guiding star - and today is
apparently no different. The young and the old have searched for their bearings
to soothe themselves, to have a meaning to life. People now identify themselves
as “spiritual but not religious”. Church attendance continues to decline and millennial
seem to believe more in morality.
In order to
make the effort to learn to live, there must be an incentive to do so. What is
the incentive to do so? What is the need to have an incentive to enjoy your
life rather than having a permanent fear of the unknown?
As the Buddha
stated “fear comes from craving for happiness.”
As Jesus
Christ came into this world as a human to teach Man that there was merciful
redemption if only man wanted peace of mind and peace within.
A practical
way of overcoming fear of the new is to focus on the benefits of succeeding.
We need to
begin Christmas not only with the temerity and the tinsel, but with a positive
mindset, seeking help from others and trusting in ourselves to be able to
deliver the potential within ourselves.
Learning to
get out of our “comfort zone” is the first step to reach the peace of
Christmas. This was the message of Christ born in a lonely manger.
Give the gift of experience
Let us also
explore some right brained ways of thinking. Facts and figures offer objective
information, but it is visual art, music and creative thinking which can supply
ideas that flesh things out and make them more resonant.
As we
research less and brainstorm more, we notice the mind is more suited to
imagining and interpreting.
Boy! We could
do with a Macron to solve our problems some say? Others like Philip Cherwell,
The Times Asian Editor, cannot even care to spell the name of our Prime
Minister and refers to him as" Wikhramasinghe”.
We need a
sense of humour to enjoy Christmas?
The impasse
in our British Parliament over Brexit is hilarious, especially, if you have a
mordant sense of humour or are a foreigner. Everyone knows that not a single
option can command a parliamentary majority. “This is largely because the
divisions between British parties no longer match the divisions that exist in
society. The voters resent the growing divide between the North and the South,
between rich and poor.”
This is replicated
around the world.
Christmas can
be made merrier by all. While people living in London are micromanaging the
present list and people in Yorkshire are thinking of the credit crunch in the
New Year?
One
recommendation how to “electrify” Christmas is to take a moment to share the
joys of life you enjoy with others. Another is to move your mind forward to
January 2, when you are heading back to work and then rewind what you think
will have happened.
Observe the
magical moments you want to remember, the family gathering, the staggering
through Christmas Day fuelled by wine, the “pigs in blankets horsd’oeuvre and
mince pies, before the roast turkey, then decline anything that will totally
stress you out.
Part of the
joy of Christmas knows that nothing is likely to be perfect and that it is
fine.
Spare a
thought for the lonely and the neglected and that will give you real happiness.
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