Christmas Reflections...

Christmas happened rather peacefully, this year. No great fanfare; no family drama; no storms.

Frankly, I am glad for it. I never did do "noisy parties" well, and one of the things I do appreciate about my otherwise dysfunctional upbringing is that most things were kept pretty quiet by my family, around the holidays.

Which isn't to say that we didn't celebrate around the holidays... just that we tended to do so quietly, and mostly through the sharing of lots and lots of food! And because everyone lived pretty close together, there was no drama associated with overnight stays and family members having feuds.

Even as a little kid, Christmas was more about the vast quantities of delicious food, than it was about presents. I guess even at a very early age, I was showing signs of not being very much into "stuff." Perhaps my enthusiasm was somewhat curtailed by the adults' insistence on sticking to Practical* gifts!

In my adult life, the holidays were always about a quiet time for reflection for me; a time when things slowed down and it felt like the world around me didn't keep running quite as fast.

This year is no exception, and the fact that Christmas fell on a Thursday makes the timing so that most people finished work on Wednesday and then have a 5-day holiday weekend.

At least that applies here in the USA — I am well aware than back in my native Denmark and in many other parts of the world people automatically get a couple of weeks off around Christmas and the New Year.

And so, I am enjoying eating and generally being pretty "useless" as I go about my days.

That basically means I have had a little time to just relax into my artwork, and to enjoy a couple of my hobbies.

I can't help but be reminded that we tend to be far too work obsessed here in the States... people define their entire lives by what they do, rather than by who they are. I'd even submit that many don't even know who they truly are.

I think about all the events I've been to over the years, and the lead-off conversation point is invariably "What do you do?"

"Frankly, as little as possible!

As I have said many times before: I identify as a Human BE-ing, not a Human DO-ing or a Human HAVE-ing!

I hope your Christmas was a good one, and wish you a great weekend!

How about YOU? Are you getting time off for Christmas? Do you think we humans are too focused on working? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2025.12.26 18:56 PST
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