December 1st — a love story
Thought: I love the holidays. ❤
Well, this isn’t much of a statement — I’m in good company here. 99.95% of the people we know absolutely love and adore the holidays.
It’s warm. It’s cozy. It’s full of family & friends. It’s an excuse to eat and drink and be merry while shirking all the other responsibilities in our lives. It’s a mini hiatus from bills, the treadmill, work, routine, cooking for one, and watching reruns of Seinfeld (or Friends, if you’re one of those. I still love you though).
Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas lights, gluttony, hot chocolate, and gift opening are all wonderful. But it’s selflessness, hope, and the spirit of giving that keeps us connected. It’s the feelings that have us craving the holidays like it’s coffee on a Monday morning.
There’s something about being connected to those we love that tends to bring out the best in us. Now look, I’m not denying that the holidays can be stressful for a lot of people. Sure, I get it. Depending on your individual circumstances, spending time with certain family members can be traumatizing. You might feel burned out, irritated, or exhausted. I feel that.
But I do believe that the essence of November & December still lives on in the little things. It’s in our DNA. It’s in our biological clocks. It’s the reason why November & December are the most popular times of the year to volunteer. Did you know that? These two months are so powerful that it brings out the best in humanity. People feel so strongly about love and people and taking care of others that they feel more compelled to help out during the holiday season than any other time of year. That’s pretty crazy to think about. I mean, we all want to think we’re one way or the other — but the fact is, people literally feel more loving and giving at the end of the year.
The season echoes in the excited way we ask “What are your holidays plans?!” to every single person we come across. It manifests itself in planning — airplane tickets, trinkets purchased for your secret Santa, holiday parties taking up beautiful space in your calendar, and the perfect new skirt in case you meet the one. It presents itself like an innocent child — blinding hope and big starry eyes watching the snow fall and thinking about rom-coms, giggles with your sister as you reminisce on the December of 2005, and snuggles with your dog at home who now spends his free time suspiciously sniffing out those strange packages under the tree.
It lives in small gestures. The extra seconds spent hugging your best friend in the name of the holiday spirit just because — the moments where you detour a few blocks to smile giddily at Christmas lights — the time you spend watching Home Alone for the 1,000th time. This is sacred. There are rituals. A tree is waiting in the dust underneath the basement stairs — and it needs ornaments, tinsel, and lights, stat. (Or, if you’re fancy & cool & doing this thing the right way, you’re buying a real tree complete with pine needles and a “skirt”.)
This time of year, it makes us feel things. It’s the climax of the past eleven months, an opportunity to take stock, the chapter in our favorite novel where we read a little slower, smile a little longer, and touch the well read pages with gratitude. You know the one — it’s the chapter that’s full to the brim with anticipation and emotion and tangled limbs while you try hugging too many people at the same time. There’s so much love. How is it even possible? Did our feelings change, or did the holiday season bring it out in us?
It’s childhood. And childhood IS love. And hope. And curiosity. And optimism. And innocence. And genuinely being excited by the littlest and smallest and cutest of things. (Well, it should be. And if your childhood wasn’t, I want this holiday season to be everything it should’ve been for you, and more.)
It’s never been about the gift opening. The love is in the gift giving, the human intimacy, the rowdy laughter and sparkly magic and warm cozy feelings as you admire the humans you love.
Your friend with the:
- big laugh, hilarious wit, and funniest ugly sweater of the night
- quiet demeanor and wise words about a man she met on the subway
- always ready tumbler of scotch nearby
- passionate convictions and controversial opinions
- boundless heart, beaming smile, and voice that goes up an octave when she sees you
- kind eyes who always knows what to say
- blunt honesty and the best culinary skills
- easygoing mentality and chill vibes
- flawless eye makeup and 4 inch stilettos who doesn’t care what you look like
- red glasses and the artistically inspired ensembles that are somehow stylish yet quirky yet very much HER
- spreadsheet for the 7 different parties she has to go to in the next 3 hours
Your friend who somehow makes you want to cry every time you see him, because there’s so much love there and you don’t even know how to handle it.
Your friend who doesn’t say much and secretly wonders what she’s bringing to the table — but you know exactly who she is, and you tell her.
Your friend who brings people together and keeps them together.
You — all heart and blood and lungs. Neurotransmitters and dopamine and nerves. Tangled hair and complicated feelings and the way you look when your eyes are closed, the way you carry yourself when you think nobody’s watching. You, and your past dozen Decembers. Your ups and downs, your favorite holiday memory — and your worst. Your wishes and secret desires and fingers tightly crossed behind your back. Your inevitable mid-December meltdown served with a half bottle of red wine when it all becomes too overwhelming — and your inevitable sheepish smile the next day when you fall in love with it all over again.
You, and the last cold, wintry, magical December of the decade. Have a beautiful one, friend.
