Thanksgiving - The Ultimate Rehearsal Dinner

Having an endless cache of music is great, but to me there’s still something special about radio. You can put your tunes to shuffle but they’re still yours. Music chosen by others offers unexpected surprises. Because of this, tonight I turned on the radio and sat down to read.

What did I hear? On November 6th, the station had already gone to all Christmas music. That’s all I got – nothing but Christmas music. And you know what? It instantly put a smile on my face.

Yes, I know you’re probably thinking I’ve gone mad. You’re also likely cringing, growling at, or cursing the early onset of seasonal carols. But, I think it’s time we all stepped back and rethought that reaction.

How could an entire society come to loathe the mention of Christmas? We’ve become such a snarky, pessimistic, anti-establishment lot. How did it become cool to show disgust over such a wonderful time of year? Ever wonder why? There are plenty of reasons. Ultimately though, all of them come down to appreciating the wrong things.

If you’ve fallen for the “buy everyone a gift because it’s Christmas” message that’s been pumped into your brain since you could fill a diaper, you’re highly likely to be upset at the sound of Jingle Bells. That’s understandable to a point. Yet, it all comes down to a choice. Do you want to be happy or do you want to be miserable?

If you want to be happy, abandon the gifts and chaos of the Christmas offered in store fronts for the one that’s free. Relax, visit family, ring up old friends, thank people you may have forgotten to, offer a hand to someone who could use it, remember the good things in life, appreciate them, and live, if only for a while, as though you truly want everyone to be as happy as you yourself want to be.

Cast away the crap and connect to the real meaning. Do that and it’s quite possible you’ll begin to smile when you hear the music. While you’re working on it, I’ll be here thinking of you; all the people I wish I could share a glass of eggnog with or sit next to in front of a warm crackling fire kindling fond memories. When there’s so much good to be traded, why would we waste a single minute conforming to the notion Christmas is miserable?

If you’ve become the person who dreads Christmas, don’t feel bad. Society has made it easy. But, it’s also just as easy to choose to be happy. Do that instead.