By BJ Gonzalvo, taken from Mind & Spirit (presented by Brooke Momblow)
Never Too Early for Joy
Psychologists are now chiming in saying that there are mental health benefits to getting into the Holiday spirit early. Experts suggest that people who put up Christmas decorations earlier appear to be happier. It gives us an extended opportunity to re-live the joy of our childhood. And as adults, we now get to share those happy experiences with our children. By starting early, the period of excitement and joy gets extended. Plus, that short span of festive weeks from Thanksgiving to the Feast of Epiphany feels rushed and quick to
climax, leaving us very little time to prepare for that crashing halt at the end of the season when we take the decorations down. By extending the period of jubilation, we’re able to avoid the drastic emotional spikes of the Christmas season.
Christmas, however, is a lot more than just the colorful decorations, the twinkling lights, or the scent of fir tree or peppermint. Yes, there are many traditional ways for the short-lived and external manifestations of our Christmas joy. The lights brighten our mood. The music lifts our spirits. The scents remind us of the season. There’s a bidirectional exchange where we draw spiritual energy from them and at the same time express the joy of our faith through them. There is joy coming from and shooting out in all directions. We are, after all, preparing to celebrate and commemorate the birth of our Savior so what could be more joyous than that?
There’s nothing wrong with the exuberant anticipation of that joyous event even if it’s as early as the first ‘ber’ month. Engaging the senses and immersing ourselves in the experience of Christmas can be helpful in nourishing our faith. It also presents us plenty of opportunities to teach our children about Advent. Perpetuating these Christmas traditions go hand-in-hand with perpetuating the faith.
Reclaim Christmas and Rediscover True Joy
However, what often gets overlooked in the commotions, in the scents, sights, and sounds of it all, as we prepare the decorations, the food, our travel plans, and the Christmas songs, is our internal preparation. It is a time of year that predisposes the senses to be overwhelmingly drawn outwards to the sights and the sounds. It is easy to get caught up on the externalities and overly rely on them to be the source of our holiday merriment. All these stimuli can also add to the stress, especially when our personal memories of Christmas do not reflect the joyful sounds and twinkling jolly lights.
The season of Advent, despite the festivities and the vibrant sounds, also brings us yet another great opportunity to revisit the interior life and reflect on what the birth of our Savior truly means.
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