It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Keri Sutter
Executive Director
It's December 24, and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The carols are playing. the churches and homes are decorated. Parts of the country have lots of snow (we don't, here in Albuquerque). It's COLD (even here in Albuquerque). The sun rises late and sets early. And tonight, for many of us, we celebrate the return of the Light.
So, what's so important about Christmas (or the Solstice, if that's what you celebrate)? Why is this time of year "different"?
I've read that, back in the "good old days," when we all lived off the land, we were more in tune with the cycles and seasons of the year. We slept more in the winter, and less in the summer. We did more quiet, indoor tasks in the winter, and more expansive, large-body-movement tasks in the summer. I've also read that the winter is a good time for each of us to enjoy a dormant, or fallow time. A time to re-evaluate. A time to let ideas sit and mellow. A time to just "be."
That's probably a gross over-simplification. But my Christmas wish for all of you is that you listen to your bodies and your souls. If you feel that you need more sleep, get it. If you feel that you need to hibernate, or spend more time at home, do it. If you feel that you need to "do" less, and "be" more, indulge yourself. ‘Round about February, you may feel differently – ready to go out and "do" again.
I wish you all a blessed and peaceful holiday.
Keri
December, 2004