Season’s Greetings,
And by “seasons”, I mean here at my home, we are in for the count (literally) watching our go-to lineup of holiday movies that give us that seasonal feeling of Christmas.
In this month’s musings, which I’m now calling midlife monthly musings as yours truly is 🙃 , I’m here to serve you with 25 ways to support demystifying Christmas and, most importantly, to serve you with more wonder and magic in life.
Cosmic Espresso Shot-
I’ve noticed myself wondering about the “why” of things. After all, I coach my clients on not living life on autopilot, and welllllll… to be in integrity, that would mean yours truly too.
I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school, married an Irish Catholic, and my kids have followed the Catholic path as well. Is that autopilot?
Two decades ago, my husband and I explored different religions, were both “re” baptized, and yet for me, it just didn’t feel right. I’ve delved into the yogic path, other doctrines with Eastern philosophy, and presently what I call spirituality or an awakening to being more enlightened.
All this to share, what I know as my path to my own wondering (truth-seeking) is a journey unique to me.
But what I can offer is to share what I’ve learned along the way.
Discovering the art of “learning to learn” is a psychological resource that I’ve learned to value, thanks to the teachings from Rick Hanson. Learning to learn to understand why we do the things we do and the very real truth that it is indeed a choice to continue doing what we do (or not) has been one of my tools to avoid living life on autopilot. From this perspective, choosing to continue or not can be refreshingly empowering, and for this month’s musings intention, it can be profoundly transformative in how you experience your holiday, not just this year but year after year.
With that, let’s get to it. An offer of 25 musings to wonder and love on your holiday year after year.
25 Christmas Musings to Spark Wonder
1. Tradition – peer pressure from dead people. Surprisingly true
2. Autopilot – performing routine tasks without conscious thought. Sometimes serves us, sometimes it doesn’t. Aphorism – Some people live 90 years, some people live the same year 90 times.
3. Believe – a verb that means to accept something as true or real without absolute proof. Gullible or trusting?
4. Faith – a noun that generally refers to a strong belief or trust in something, often without concrete proof or evidence. It feels expansive, so my body is telling me it must be true.
5. Christmas – historical and cultural roots in Christian traditions celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, while also having various cultural and secular aspects. The darn Elf on the Shelf
6. Dec 25-: There are no historical records to confirm the birth of Jesus Christ. In the 4th century, Pope Julius I officially declared December 25th aimed to unify Christian communities with symbolic and practical considerations. Cognitive constructs created by people.
7. the Symbolic Considerations – Dec. 25th is close to Winter Solstice. Solstice means “sun stands still.” The sun stops or is at a “standstill” as it has reached its southernmost or northernmost points. On the Solstice (typically 12/21 or 12/22), the North Celestial Pole is tilted farthest away from the sun, reaching its lowest point at noon. This creates the shortest day and longest night of the year. After the Solstice, we celebrate the birth of the sun (more light) in the northern hemisphere, or symbolically, the birth of the son, Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
8. the Practical Considerations – It was believed that in earlier Christian traditions (Feast of the Annunciation), the conception of Jesus was the same day as his crucifixion, March 25, then the birth would fall nine months later. Ummmm, conception to birth is 40 weeks or 10 months #justsaying.
9. the Pagan Considerations – Chosen to coincide with existing festivals like the Roman Saturnalia, a celebration of winter solstice and the rebirth of the sun. Interesting.
10. the Christmas Tree – Historically, winter is a time when many things die (trees, animals, people …). Deciduous trees teach us about seasons, leaves dying, and composting. Evergreen trees teach us about the possibilities and serve as a reminder that we can make it through the cold and harder days. Yes, we can!
11. Yule, “geol,” celebrated by the Germanic people, is a celebration of making it through and feasting more than ration. Bring it!!!
12. the Christmas Star – a bright celestial object or planetary conjunction that appears in the night sky around Christmas time. The most famous Christmas Star is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew, 3 Wise Men or Magi from the East followed a star to guide them to Jesus. Genius!
13. Santa – a legendary figure associated with Christmas, also known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle, depicted with a white beard, a red suit, and not just generous in his belly, but benevolent and jolly in character. According to tradition, Santa delivers presents to well-behaved children around the world. The reindeers, led by Rudolph, are said to pull Santa’s sleigh. Ho Ho Ho!
14. Santa in the Sky – Brought to you by my mentor astronomer/astrologer Gemini Brett. Take a look, and more importantly, look to the sky at night! Jolly Santa and his sleigh leading with his reindeers to Arcturus, the red-nose reindeer. Arcturus is indeed a red giant star, and within Ursa Major is the Big Dipper, which points north. The Big Dipper has been associated with horses and a wagon.
15. Santa circles the globe – This is Earth’s 24-hour daily primary motion on the equatorial plane and how Santa delivers the toys to the girls and boys in one night.
16. Earth’s secondary motion – This is how we experience the seasons, Solstices, and Equinoxes as Earth orbits on the elliptical plane. Galactic Genius!
17. Planet Earth as our tree – Earth’s spin axis (the tree) is directional, pointing due south and pointing due north (through Santa’s home) and pointing at a fixed place towards our North Star, Polaris.
18. Back to the Christmas Star – Polaris is Earth’s Christmas Star. So cool!
19. the Christmas tree – reminds us/teaches us about Earth’s primary motion, Earth as a tree with our fixed star Polaris, with the other stars that are orbiting as the twinkling stars. This is our human experience every day and every night.
20. Magic – a mysterious and supernatural force that transcends the natural laws of the universe. Often associated with wonder and the ability to create effects that seem impossible. Magic can evoke a sense of awe, delight, and amazement. In various cultures and literature, magic is portrayed as a powerful and transformative energy that brings about extraordinary experiences.
21. Christmas Magic – an enchanting quality associated with the holiday season. It encompasses the joy, warmth, and goodwill that permeate the air during Christmastime. Christmas magic is often characterized by feelings of generosity, kindness, togetherness, and the spirit of giving. It is the sense of wonder and excitement, especially experienced by children, creating a magical atmosphere that transcends the ordinary. Per my chat with GPT🤖.
22. Back to the Elf on the Shelf – Bah Humbug! For years, I have lamented to my husband that I hated this tradition. I even threatened to tell the kids our elf, Otto, died when my husband was deployed last year. My 14-year-old daughter has excitedly taken on this responsibility to keep the magic for my youngest. What I have humbly come to realize is that it’s not my role to take the magic away but to be a part of offering up the awe and wonder.
23. Neuroplasticity – this is the capacity of our brains to change with experience. The intention is to change our minds by changing our brains (thinking and neural firing) to change our minds for the better. But it is through activation by having an experience. The invitation is to intentionally create an experience that will evoke awe and wonder in you. We can each be Santa, jolly, benevolent, and generous.
24. 12 Days of Christmas – The significance of the “12 days of Christmas” is rooted in the Christian liturgical calendar and refers to the period between Christmas Day (December 25th) and the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th). Consider 12 days of intentionally creating an experience of wonder in your life.
25. Merry Everything – while acknowledging many less fortunate, my nature tilts towards believing in wonder and cultivating faith that we can all gift the magic our world desperately needs.
A special shout out to my mentor Gemini Brett who has enlightened me with this sacred astronomy. Consider sharing with someone who needs more wonder and magic this Christmas.
– xx Tanya