This Holiday Season Feels Like a Post-Election Balm
We put up our Christmas tree on Nov. 9 this year. Right after the election. I cannot remember a time when I've been more eager for the holiday season. We have holiday favorites playing on Alexa and in the car when we're driving around town. This holiday season feels like a post-election balm, a well-timed return to everything the season represents and everything we are longing for right now: gratitude, joy and time spent with the people we love. While the world feels harsh and cruel, the holiday pulls us in with its decorations, crafts and gifts. The season offers an opportunity to turn toward one another and double down on peace and love.
People might think Christmas is for children with the awe of Santa Claus and kids asking him for what they want -- the magic of waiting and wondering what dreams might manifest beneath the tree on Christmas morning. That's all fun, but I like to pull children into the giving part, too. The best part of giving is the gift that shows loved ones we've been paying attention. The best gifts are the ones that make someone feel seen.
It doesn't have to be expensive; it just has to say, "I know you and love you for who you are." It says you've been listening when they talk about what brings them joy, well enough to see something and immediately think of them. You don't just want to get them any gift but a very specific gift, because it will bring them comfort and joy and make them feel loved. That is the true magic in this season of giving: the opportunity to unabashedly reveal the careful consideration you've given them in the form of a thoughtful gift. It says, "I'm here, I'm listening, and you are loved."
The election results have added another layer of pondering for many. How will all of the country's vulnerabilities look during this next presidential administration? Feeling seen by those in our inner circle means more than ever now. For what will be the cost of their authenticity in a month? A year? What will have to be stifled, conformed to or simply and heartbreakingly abandoned? It may sound like an overreaction, but I promise you, this is on the hearts and minds of those who do not fit into the white, heteronormative, American-born narrative that dominates the rhetoric of political pundits.
Our world is changing, and yes, the political pendulum is swinging yet again, but for now, our immediate world remains one that we can decide upon. We can choose kindness, while offering a safe space to those who feel particularly exposed. Those longing to feel a sense of belonging. So that's what we're doing this year in the name of the Christmas spirit. We've hauled out that holly... because we need a little Christmas now.
Do you know anyone who's doing cool things to make the world a better place? I want to know. Send me an email at Bonnie@WriterBonnie.com. Check out Bonnie's weekly YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/bonniejeanfeldkamp. To find out more about Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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