merry christmas

merry christmas!

today is the federal holiday of Christmas
in the United States of America.
we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God (in the christian religion).

more broadly, we celebrate Santa Claus
and the spirit of gift-giving and togetherness.
it is a beautiful holiday that stands in the
calendar year as a testament to the optimism
of the human soul to persevere despite the odds.

christmas to me is cozy. it is drinking hot chocolate,
coming downstairs to see gifts, having a big meal with your family,
going to the customary christmas mass, and not having a care in the world.

as i’ve grown older, i get to join in more on the gift-giving side
of christmas. i don’t always remember. sometimes it’s pretty hard.
and sometimes when things don’t go your way on christmas or leading
up to the holidays, it can feel really awful and bleak. the opposite
of what christmas ought to be.

in times like those, i like to remember that ultimately we are at the
end of the day, with ourselves. to be a friend to yourself is the first
and final compassion you can give to this world. it’s the bare minimum.

and if you don’t do it, who else will?

thanks for reading today’s post.
happy holidays!