It’s the holid
ay season, but for me, it only began to feel like Christmas last week. For some reason, I wasn’t excited. I can’t really attach my lack of enthusiasm to depression. It’s just that every two or three years, it takes me a bit longer to feel Christmas cheer. Have you ever experienced a holiday season when you couldn’t be bothered with decorating, cooking or participating in festive functions? Up until last week, this was me. So, I went to my go to inspirational tool, music to shake this indifference.
Since music makes my life go around, I took my quest to find holiday cheer through music to Facebook. I asked my friends, “What’s the one song that gets you in the Christmas spirit, and why?” It’s interesting. I meant for this post to go in a completing different direction. I thought listening to the music people chose was going to bring me joy. I was going to write about my experiences listening to the songs and possibly relate those experiences to how to deal with depression during the holiday season. However, it didn’t work out that way. In fact, I didn’t listen to any of the music at all. The responses to the Facebook post inspired me to do differently. I didn’t need to listen to the music because I began to feel the Christmas spirit just by reading the responses to the post. Reading what others wrote made me happy. I found that people participating with me in a conversation about Christmas was just as fulfilling as listening to their song selections might have been.
That really is the spirit of Christmas, isn’t it? It’s about people sharing, loving and supporting one another. Don’t get me wrong. Music is certainly capable of snapping one into the holiday season. But, the people you listen to the music with help to create lasting memories that are even more important than the music itself. For instance, one of my friends posted Let it Snow by Boyz II Men as her favorite. Not necessarily because of the song, but because the song reminds her of being snowed in with her family. And, two other of my friends posted Jingle Bell Rock and Feliz Navidad as their favorites. Both said that whenever the song they like plays, they sing, dance and act silly at the expense of whomever is watching. I can just imagine how embarrassed their children must be watching their parents cut a Christmas jig in the middle of a shopping store when the song is played. But I can also imagine their children telling their children how much this song meant to their parents. And it is this thought especially that brings me joy.
This holiday season, let’s remember what’s most important. Let’s create memories that will bring us lasting joy, and as always, let’s press on together!
Thank you Facebook friends for helping to create this amazingly diverse list of Christmas songs!
Celebrate Me Home (LeAnn Rimes with Gavin DeGraw)
Do you Hear What I Hear? (Whitney Houston)
Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano)
Happy Holidays (The Whispers)
Jesus Is The Reason For The Season (Kirk Franklin)
Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
Let it Snow (Boyz II Men)
Merry Christmas! -The Temptations- “Silent Night”
Oh Holy Night (Celine Dion & Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey)
The Little Drummer Boy (Pentatonix)