It is the season of Christmas. Traditionally, we have celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus, considered King of Kings by Christians, with gift-giving, generosity to the poor and feasting.
Feasting implies people in a room, gathered from far and wide, sitting around a table, laughing, eating too much food, enjoying each other’s company. This year, however, people are what we will be missing. Most of us will be celebrating Christmas with significantly fewer people than normal.
When the pandemic started, and it was suddenly important to hunker down and significantly reduce contacts, it was easier. Surprisingly, though, and probably not great for my mental health, I found not only was it easy to not see my friends, but I even called them less than before. Why was that?
Several times I was reminded that I needed to keep in touch with my friends, because then my mood was better. What kept me from calling my friends? If nothing else, to make sure they were doing okay? I don’t know, but I suspect I am not the only person who hesitated picking up the phone, because my phone hasn’t rung very often either.
We need human contact and this lack of contact is having an effect on our mental health. Zoom fatigue is a real thing. We will not soon, if ever, willingly trade meeting friends and family in person with interacting virtually or even a Star-Trek hologram. The need for human-to-human in-the-flesh interaction is a part of our DNA.
This pandemic will end, restrictions will be removed, but we have a way to go before life can return to normal. So, what do we do in the meantime? Our Christmas dinner table will be small compared to other years, so how can we reach out to our friends and family? I found a few less obvious ideas from two websites. The full articles are at here and here.
Start you day chatting with a loved one - it is a good way to make your day brighter.
Practice your listening skills when chatting with your friends and family, give them space to share.
Deliver a Christmas treat to your friends/family/shelter instead of having a party.
Make a bingo card with your favorite family traditions, then share photos with your family of yourself doing them.
These are helpful ideas, but I was struck by how short the lists were. I think that just means it’s going to be a hard Christmas. And that has to be okay. Less than fabulous is okay.
The baby we celebrate at Christmas wasn’t born in the best conditions, either. His parents were in a strange town. Their lives had also been turned upside down due to a government decree. All the hotels were full, so the ancient texts say after he was born, he was laid in a “feeding trough” to sleep; he was born where animals were kept! Not exactly anyone’s ideal birth plan.
If you think about it, the very first Christmas had more in common with Christmas 2020 than Christmas 2019. However, in spite of the conditions of the first Christmas and Christmas 2020, we celebrate Christmas because of the good news this baby brought to a hurting world. May you feel the comfort this baby brought, during these hard times, and may you find yourself bringing joy to those you love as you find ways to reach out.
Merry Christmas.
