Yesterday morning while lounging in bed reading and drinking coffee, Little T greeted Hubby and I with a plate of pistachios, walnuts and cookies.  He thought we might be hungry. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture and it made me wonder if he caught a little Christmas spirit. Or, maybe he was trying to make sure good deeds were being done as Santa was still watching.  December is my favourite month, as whenever Little T misbehaves, I can play the “Santa is watching” card.  It works every time.

Christmas is such a spiritual time of year.  When Christmas Eve day arrives, everything starts to feel different as regular routines are put on hold.  Depending on your plans, you may be able to sleep in that day, lounge around and have that second cup of tea, or if you are hosting, you may even delight in the preparations with the excitement of soon sharing time with loved ones.

The sun was shining yesterday, which was such a welcomed change after weeks of rain and adjusting to darkness starting here at about 4 o’clock.  With my body longing to soak sunlight, I decided to take an afternoon walk, on a route regularly made by my sister when she visited us this past summer.  I treasured having time all by myself and enjoyed fully living in the present.  It is so easy to allow your thoughts to dwell on the past or worry about the future, instead of just experiencing the “right now”. Practising yoga has encouraged me to try being more in the present.

While lost in my thoughts of how wonderful  the sun and warm breezy air felt and how nice it was to see others also out enjoying an afternoon Christmas Eve stroll, I came across an older man on his bike who looked me straight in the eye and with the biggest grin said “Frohe Weihnachten!” (Merry Christmas!) He may have been in his nineties, but at that very moment he looked 10 years old.  It was such a simple interaction, but his greeting filled my spirit with happiness.  I smiled while thinking about him all the way home, and am now sharing him with you. That’s how powerful sharing the spirit can be, and it doesn’t have to be just reserved for Christmastime.  I think you can share a smile or a warm greeting with a stranger any day of the year and have the same impact.

For me, Christmas isn’t about the gifts.  I do enjoy buying and receiving gifts from others, but what I really look forward to is spending time with others and taking time for myself.  Even though this year I am not physically sharing it with my Canadian family and friends, it doesn’t mean I’m not thinking of them or feeling them in my heart.   I am grateful for Skype, the telephone, email and the Internet so I can at least connect with them virtually.

I feel sad for those that have no one to share Christmas with.  But, I think if you truly love yourself and take time to nurture your soul, Christmas may not be that lonely if you are alone.  Loving and spending time with ourselves is something we should do every day.

So today, don’t worry about the past or plan for the future. Live in the moment.  If you are visiting others, simply enjoy being with them. If you are by yourself, do something you love doing.  Share the Christmas spirit with others and yourself, and bottle some of it up for tomorrow.

And if you go for a bike ride, look a stranger in the eye and wish them a Merry Christmas!