Celebration is Celebration

Christmas is Celebration, and Celebrations are Instinct in the Heart!

The Christmas Celebration to me means sharing the abundance we have been given. Some of us may not have much materially, but we can celebrate with the gift of an open heart, and share the wonderment all around us. There is the wonderment that grows from tiny seeds, whether they are the seeds of love and inspiration, or the miracle of "seeds" that grow to produce our children and loved ones who nourish our hearts... or the seeds that grow the animals, fruit and vegetables that nourish our bodies.

These are the everyday miracles we have been given, and we celebrate them. I like to celebrate by sharing the gifts of food treats, but the best is sharing a meal and conversation around a table of congenial companions.

MFK Fisher summed it up nicely: "Dining partners, regardless of gender, social standing, or the years they have lived, should be chosen for their ability to eat -- and drink! -- with the right mixture of abandon and restraint.

They should be able, no, eager, to sit for hours over a meal of soup and wine and cheese, as well as one of 20 fabulous courses.

Then, with good friends of such attributes, and good food on the board. and good wine in the pitcher, we may well ask,"When shall we live, if not now?"

 

I can think of no better way to celebrate the day than being with friends and family, sharing good food.

"Christmas IS celebration, and celebration is instinct in the heart. With gift and feast, with red ribbon and fresh green bough, with the sound of music and merriment, we commend the day– oasis in the long landscape of the common.

This Christmas mend a quarrel. 

Seek out a forgotten friend. 

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. 

Write a love letter. 

Encourage youth. 

Show your loyalty in word and deed. 

Keep a promise. 

Find the time. 

Forego a grudge. 

Forgive an enemy. 

Listen. 

Apologize if you were wrong. 

Try to understand. 

Flout envy. 

Take up arms against malice. 

Examine your demands on others. 

Be kind; be gentle. 

Appreciate. 

Laugh a little. 

Laugh a little more. 

Express your gratitude. 

Cry out against complacency. 

Welcome a stranger. 

Gladden the heart of a child. 

Take pleasure in the wonder and beauty of the earth. 

Speak your Love. 

Speak it again. 

Speak it once again."

Source: a long-ago bit I copied from either a Life or Look magazine about 1960...