SHORTS
Looking for the
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
To get in the holiday mood, look in some familiar and new places.
BY CHRISTINE R . GONZALEZ
ECEMBER 25TH approaches super-naturally
fast each year, or so
it seems. One can make
it through the annual
checklist — buying
gifts, decorating the house, prepar-ing
family recipes, attending festive
parties — and still utter the phrase,
“It just doesn’t feel like Christmas.”
Peace, love and joy are the feel-ings
that should be abundant during
the holiday season. But we live in a
troubled world, so how does anyone find
those emotions amid all the problems and
distractions of our times?
Choosing to seek peace, love and joy is the first
step. Discovering them will be different for everyone, but listening
to seasonal or inspirational music, watching uplifting movies, doing
something new, or performing some small act of kindness can all be
good places to start.
Listening to holiday music can help bring about the Christmas spirit.
After all, it is the “hap-happiest season of all.”
Christmas can transport us back in time. You may remember sing-ing
“Jingle Bells” with your grandmother while she rattled sleigh bells,
and now you’re the grandma singing it with your grandchild. Instead of
giving in to the sadness of missing loved ones, remember the joy they
Above: The Raleigh Ringers concert at Thalian Hall on December 4 will be just one opportunity to experience live holiday music in Wilmington.
Top: Camellias color the winter landscape in gardens around Wilmington, like the New Hanover County Arboretum.
16 december 2021
WBM
planted in your life and pass it along. The gift of
time and attention far outweigh any package
under a tree.
There is no shortage of Christmas
carols or cheerful tunes to lighten
the heart. Start with songs point-ing
to the origin of the holiday, an
observance of the birth of Jesus.
“Away in a Manger” paints a
peaceful and humble beginning.
“Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay close
by me forever.” Is that not a peaceful
request? And for believers, one that is
fulfilled.
“Mary Did You Know” is a more modern
song that asks the teenage mother of Jesus, “Did you
know when you kiss your little baby, you’ve kissed the face of God?”
That paints a powerful but peaceful image of what a young mother may
have felt in caring for her newborn gift.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, there are plenty of Christmas
songs to bring in good cheer. If you’re invited to a friend’s home, ring
the doorbell and serenade them with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Demand that figgy pudding, or personalize the lyrics — “We all want
some pecan pie and we won’t go ’til we get some.” It will be a fun way to
kick off the evening.
A newer song by Francesca Battistelli paints a picture of the many
D
WBM FILE PHOTO
MARK MANRING