Opportunity knocks this Christmas.
The greatest gift of all is family and friends. Magnificent memories, even with a fleeting friend, are special.
Every Christmas some of us tell ourselves to send Joe or Judy or the Jones family a Christmas card: a small token that you are thinking of them. Not a big deal, yet it often turns into a big deal as Christmas approaches. Shopping, decorations, holiday visits: the list goes on and on. Taking the time to sit down and do Christmas cards is incredibly involved and time-consuming; a prime candidate for something that can be put off.
Come mid-December, however, you can rationalize a decision to not send cards by telling yourself that they will arrive late. Nobody wants to be late with a Christmas card.
Not to worry, because a magical moment is upon us. Mr. Postman is our Santa Claus. Cards, gifts, and letters will all be late for Christmas. Send them; there is no wrong time for them to arrive. It may even be next year, but it matters not: we can blame Mr. Postman! The Canada Post strike has opened the door of lateness. Everyone will be late with everything this Christmas!
“What is the opportunity?” you say.
Reflect on the memories that bring an immediate smile to your face. We all have shared moments with family and friends that we will forever cherish. Get a box of cards (buy locally) and take an evening to recapture those moments, put them on paper, and slip them in the Christmas card. Chances are that magical moment of yours is the best gift of all when you share it with those who created the memory with you.
Maybe you have a picture, so slide that in also. The trifecta? Include a short letter updating your life: kids, retirement, work etc. That’s beyond cool, and you may get an update from the recipient. It takes a little bit more time, but there is little doubt that you are smiling while putting the memories down on paper, visualizing a great space in time.
Creating new memories with someone whom you haven’t seen or heard from in years needs someone to get the ball rolling, so let it start with you. If the conversation starts there is no reason to think that you may not visit each other’s home ground one day. The possibilities are an unknown, but the possibility now exists.
Our busy lives tend to let family, friends, and memories fade into the distance: not because they mean any less, but because we can go months, years, or even decades without resetting our priorities. As time passes, we tend to set ourselves into a pattern. This is not a bad thing, but it is a thing that should trigger a head shake once in a while.
Hell, if COVID, wildfires, floods, and the Christmas postal strike don’t give us a shake, nothing will. This Christmas we have a “whole lot of shaking” going on. Embrace the opportunity it gives us to reach out. Rekindling a memory may find its way to a friend or family member who needs this now more than ever.
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but it is also a struggle for a bank account that’s not big enough for your Christmas list. It triggers memories of loved ones lost. The highs are very high, but the lows can be very low. Depression sets in for many, dimming Christmas lights to a point where reaching out is just not an option. Reach out. It could be life-changing.
One last thought. Many of us know of a loved one, friend, or family member who is hurting right now. Send them a card and a little note and follow that up with an actual phone call on Christmas. Hearing a friendly voice sharing their Christmas with you: nothing is better! No present under the tree is wrapped in the magic of connection with a loved one: the greatest gift of all!
