It’s Christmas Eve. Normally, I would be quickly wrapping the last of the presents and preparing for a big day of visiting local family, eating, opening more presents, and then coming home, packing up the car, and getting ready to head out of state to visit my family. The only thing that’s the same this year is my wrapping presents at the last minute.
This has certainly been the season of things not going right, or at least, not as expected. I was anxious for the meteor shower that peaked on December 14th and then seeing the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. But of course, there have been nothing but cloudy nights here. I did make it out prior to the 14th for some sky photos, which I’ll share later, but for the major events, this was the best I could do: clouds streaking through the sky, allowing only a smattering of stars to break through.
I did make a point to go out and look at the Christmas lights in our town. It was such a peaceful night and I loved walking from display to display, looking at the lights. It was along the lake, and I’ve always loved the sense of humor with the lake monster right at the start. Seeing the usual decorations created a sense of normalcy that has been in very short supply this year.
This isn’t the kind of Christmas I would have ever imagined. I’m grateful for the technology that allows us to open presents in a kind of togetherness, but obviously it is a poor substitute for being with friends and family. It’s a year that can make us feel so isolated, our little bubbles buffeted by the winds. Yet we can still see the lights of others cast along the darkness and know we are not alone.
The carol “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” has been on my mind a lot more lately this year. There are a couple versions. The first version I heard and the one I’m most familiar with includes the lines “Through the years we all will be together/If the Fates allow/Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.” But this year, I was listening to an Ella Fitzgerald recording with the original lyrics for the line, which seem much more fitting: “Someday soon, we all will be together/If the Fates allow/Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.”
Muddle through we will. We’re certainly in a dark period now, both literally in terms of the winter solstice, and metaphorically as we once again find ourselves having to hunker down and avoid much of what brings joy in this season. Sadly, for too many families, lights have been extinguished far too early. The death toll from Covid continues to increase and hospitals run out of space. Yet within this darkness, there is still light. Vaccines are proving effective and slowly be distributed. There’s a strong sense that if we can just muddle through, doing the best we can to protect ourselves and others, then someday soon many of us will be together. So let’s hang a light on that.
May you find joy and peace during this holiday season and here’s wishing all of us a much better new year.
