Christmas Still Isn’t Right
Christmas 2020 sucked. Christmas 2021 was supposed to be better.
I love Christmas. December is my favorite month and Christmas is my favorite holiday. Without family in Illinois, there have been years when I spent Christmas Day all alone, creating my own private holiday and still loved it. It didn’t matter what I did on Christmas because I knew I was sharing an emotional experience of happiness with billions of others around the world. Of course not everyone observes Christmas and many who do don’t enjoy it at all, but that still leaves billions around the planet who share this celebration. I decorate my apartment the day after Thanksgiving and gaze at my Christmas tree until February. I host a Christmas party, wear goofy Christmas clothing and jewelry, and feel some level of happiness all December long.
Then there was December 2020. The coronavirus and our response to it stripped me of that feeling of sharing joy with countless others. I knew people around the world were not having the gatherings and celebrations they wanted. Traditions were put on hold and big splashy events didn’t happen. I mostly spent the month by myself, in my apartment, not feeling happy or excited at all. I was so hurt by the absence of my favorite holiday activities that I couldn’t put up my tree. Why decorate when no one was coming over? Looking at…
