Christmas 2020
What are your feelings about Christmas this year? Are you excited and hopeful as you will finally be able to meet your family members whom you have not seen since March this year? Are you feeling overwhelmed with your Christmas to-do list? Are you exhausted from the toil of this year and just want to stay in bed for the rest of Dec? Are you feeling lonely? Has Christmas lost its significance to you?
For me, as I am a Christian, Christmas is significant because it reminds me of the birth of baby Jesus Christ on earth. That fact hasn’t changed for me this year. However, as with all of you, Christmas this year is different in several ways.
Reinventing family traditions
My family and I will not be physically celebrating Christmas in church this year. For the first time, Christmas morning will be spent at home, watching the live streaming of our church’s Christmas service. I know many of you will be doing the same as well given that a lot of countries are still under lockdown during this holiday season. I miss going to church and the fellowship with other church members there. I am grateful though that the pastoral team together with the church committee members and volunteers have gone to great lengths to ensure that Christmas is really brought into our homes this year. The important thing is that we are still together as a family this Christmas.
What is your reinvention of your family tradition this Christmas?
New ways of celebrating Christmas
My children have surprised me by not doing their Christmas wish list. They have never been materialistic but they have always requested for a small gift or two during past Christmases. However, for this year, my girls didn’t request for presents but for my time to bake cakes and cookies with them. They wanted my full attention for them during this Christmas season. I guess seeing me work from home all these months, being physically present and mentally absent, has struck a chord in them. Although my teenage son didn’t verbally express the same sentiments, he was more than willing to join in the baking fun which was a pleasant surprise! On most days, he would prefer to spend time on the phone, chatting with his friends. My husband’s request for Christmas is for all of us to relax together as a family by watching a movie of his choice in the comforts of our home. We’re all looking forward to a no-frills Christmas but one hopefully that will draw us closer together as a family. So, no presents but lots of quality time together!
What has changed for the better for you this Christmas?
Leaving old traditions behind
I didn’t put up our tree this year. Normally, I will have the kids work together to put the tree up. Somehow, this year, we all didn’t want the tree up. I don’t know if it’s because we were all too busy with our respective schedules or that we felt that putting up the tree was too much work. Maybe we are just fatigued by all the uncertainties and challenges this year and have realised that tree or no tree, it doesn’t change the meaning of Christmas for us. Perhaps, we will bring this tradition back into our home next year but for now, we seem to be fine without it.
What traditions are you leaving behind this Christmas?
What are your reflections this Christmas and as 2020 draws to a close? My three main reflections are:
Be grateful for the big and small blessings daily
“Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff!” - Richard Carlson, American author
Keep looking for the gifts during adversity
I wish you and your families a blessed Christmas, one that is filled with joy, hope and peace and that you will be recharged and refreshed to embrace the new year with optimism, direction and purpose.
Remember to book your complimentary 30-minutes coaching session here. This is my Christmas gift to each of you for an extended period until 30 January 2021. God bless you!
