Christmas Hospitality: It’s Never Too Late

10 Jan

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality.” ~ Washington Irving

One of the best parts of Christmas and the Christmas Season, in my opinion, is the hospitality that ensues. People visit one another, families get together, mini reunions of all kinds take place and they are accompanied by wonderful baked goods and a variety of spirits. Just walking into a Christmas celebration can make a heart lighter.

As with anything else, though, the celebrations come to an end and “normal life” returns. We go back to the doldrums that might make up our days and we forget all about the joy that we had celebrating with one another.

I often think about this in relation to another group of people: those who mourn the death of a loved one. For a while, there is a “season” where family and friends are around to give those who are grieving good support. However, after a short time, the people begin to drift back out of the lives of those who are grieving and they are left very much alone, oftentimes when they need support the most.

The people who have left often decided that it’s “best” for those who grieve to return to a “normal” life. They do not know and will not know the particular grief that ensues after the loss of a loved one until they experience it themselves. If they did know, they would check on their family member or friend more often to make sure that everything is all right and to offer any help needed.

Again, that same thing could be said of Christmas. We are often in a rush to leave the season behind because we feel the need to return to a normal way of life. Hey, should not the Christmas Spirit be normal? Should not Christmas love and Christmas joy be a normal part of our lives? Who is to say that we have to set those aside and wait twelve months to have those feelings and experiences once again?

FAITH ACTION: It’s the weekend. How about having Christmas this weekend? Bake some cookies, visit some friends, and share the peace, love, and joy of the season.