My new Christmas ritual
No more out-sized Christmas tree taking up too much space in my living room this year. The proportion between the amount of gifts that land underneath and the tree itself has never been in balance before, just having one wrapped present for my child, and one for the boyfriend.
The energy I put into hauling the gigantic box containing the tree and the smaller one for the decorations from the basement up to the living room is way too big for just two to three weeks splendor, not to mention the task of stowing the whole thing back again once the holiday season is over.
I love the rituals of Christmas, though, despite my recent public coming out as an atheist (I suspect to have always been one, but just never dared to come out of my dark closet). Anyway, those rituals are of pagan origins so I guess it is forgivable to exercise them still.
I used to hang a sock for my son so Santa would fill it with goodies for him to open on Christmas mornings. I did this despite the West-Flemish tradition of having Sint-Niklaas and the Belgian tradition of having Sinterklaas give away gifts a few weeks before Christmas eve. I thought indulgently, I should also be able to contribute my culture to the already crowded and muddled multi-cultural life of my boy.
I cannot do that anymore. It would be silly to pretend being Santa to my now 18 year-old young adult son. So what is there left to do in the form of rituals?
Cook is what I am left to do. And set the table festively. And eat. And maybe play some Christmas music, and even better, sing along with them on the karaoke machine.
There are parties to go to, and friends to see. Maybe I'll give a little something to a favorite charity from the Christmas bonus I'll be getting from work. And just maybe, I'll get a new bottle of perfume just for me.
The energy I put into hauling the gigantic box containing the tree and the smaller one for the decorations from the basement up to the living room is way too big for just two to three weeks splendor, not to mention the task of stowing the whole thing back again once the holiday season is over.
I love the rituals of Christmas, though, despite my recent public coming out as an atheist (I suspect to have always been one, but just never dared to come out of my dark closet). Anyway, those rituals are of pagan origins so I guess it is forgivable to exercise them still.
I used to hang a sock for my son so Santa would fill it with goodies for him to open on Christmas mornings. I did this despite the West-Flemish tradition of having Sint-Niklaas and the Belgian tradition of having Sinterklaas give away gifts a few weeks before Christmas eve. I thought indulgently, I should also be able to contribute my culture to the already crowded and muddled multi-cultural life of my boy.
I cannot do that anymore. It would be silly to pretend being Santa to my now 18 year-old young adult son. So what is there left to do in the form of rituals?
Cook is what I am left to do. And set the table festively. And eat. And maybe play some Christmas music, and even better, sing along with them on the karaoke machine.
There are parties to go to, and friends to see. Maybe I'll give a little something to a favorite charity from the Christmas bonus I'll be getting from work. And just maybe, I'll get a new bottle of perfume just for me.
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