Christmas is not about decorations, nor status, money, cars, pearls, technologies or the latest fashion like they try to tell you over and over again in radio, TV or Web advertisements... neither stress (a lot of it consumerism related!).
Christmas is about reunions, gatherings. It's a time that allows us meeting together with family and friends. It's sharing time together. The light motive can be a meal, a late supper (consoada), a xmas lunch, tea or dinner. Use your heart, your availability and your creativity to be together with family and friends. The rest? The rest are inventions of organizations that get rich by exploring your feelings through fabricated ideals of happiness and success. We can be smarter than them. Feelings come from the inside. They can not be bought and we know that.
Lets keep our heart together and let aside the trivial. Lets bring out those memory objects that have made up who we are, add your own personal touch with recycled things, invite someone home or go to someone else's house. Make your own cookies, jam, a bread loaf or your special sauce, and go knock on a neighbor's house, a long time friend, family members or a group of relief workers. Lets give the gift of time with our hearts right open. Lets have a merry Christmas!
Image by Monica Pinheiro, license CC BY-NC-SA (
CC)
