Best time of the year is here, I really, really love December and its magic. I do think it’s the most wonderful time of the year and I also try to make it that way for me and my family.
This year I decided to include some Christmas classics reading to it, not to do only movies or shows watching. So, I’ve read the most classic of all classics: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
I’m sure you heard at least some version of this story somewhere, as it’s been used as inspiration in so many things, but in principle the book talks about a rude, miserable (today we could call it also Grinchy) and stingy man Scrooge. He hates Christmas and doesn’t want to share any of his fortune with the poor, as well as he is even trying not to pay fairly his worker. In any words we could say he has no Christmas spirit at all. But one night he was visited by his dead partner’s ghost and after him came three ghosts of Christmas’ past, present and future. To show him how he used to be, what is today and how in the future things will be if he doesn’t change. Of course, ghosts were very convincing, and Scrooge found his long-lost softness and kindness in his heart and changed the way he acted and lived.
This book is amazing on so many levels, but few things really stayed with me while and after reading it
First, we can be so lucky to live in the world we live today, that we cannot even imagine the world explained in this book. I know many don’t have much, sometimes close to nothing, I know many are struggling quite hard. But this is even more the reason why we must be even more grateful for what we have. And even if we don’t have much, we can still be grateful for many things.
This book was written at the times where child labor was very common, poverty was really spread and there was not a lot of things people could do except working in more or less super bad conditions. Today, if we have roof over the head and some heat coming in, we could count ourselves super lucky. Don’t need to think about how we will put food on the table every day? Even more lucky. And what stuck with me from this book is: You don’t need much, just your close ones, family and/or friends, to be grateful, happy, cheerful and enjoy holidays with. This is enough. You don’t need fancy things and gifts to bring you true happiness, while closeness and sharing the joy can and will. Enjoying the little things and each other’s company, being kind, humble and grateful can make a big difference.
Therefore, Christmas it’s not about buying presents and all this shopping craziness, it’s also not about any craziness at all. It’s about the spirit and having your values at the right place. This is why I really love this time of the year, because all seems possible and the most important thing for me is the time we spend together with family and friends. The memories we make, the good times we have, the smiles and laughs we experience, and I really try to make an extra effort every year to make this happen, especially during December.
Honestly, I also try this during the year, but with everything that goes on regularly, we cannot be as focused on this all the time as during December, but we do always try and prioritize being with each other, doing things together and having fun. In December for example I prepare Advent calendar that is filled with activities and fun stuff we do together and for others. It is the best thing for us, and it also builds this magical Christmas spirit filled with love and joy.
It’s all about Christmas spirit
A Christmas Carol holds one more important message: to never lose hope and always believe in good, even if there is a lot of evil around us. I think sometimes all it takes is also just to change your perspective, from focusing on the bad, to focusing on the good. From focusing of what all is wrong, to focusing on what all is right. With a little bit of this and a little bit of gratefulness, things can be seen at a totally different light. Remember when we were kids, when we believed everything is possible, when we had that magic and love and kindness at heart?
In the end, to help others can be a small thing, that will make us feel better, but even more important, we can change people’s life when we try and give a hand to the one in need. Let’s rethink our ways and values, is it really impossible to do a bit better? It might just happen that our world will become even a better place to live in because of that. Therefore, don’t forget what Christmas is really about and A Christmas Carol is teaching us exactly that.
If you have any other good Christmas books recommendations, please leave a comment below.