This Christmas, Less Perfection, More Reflection

Less Perfection, More Reflection

This year Christmas will be different. Smaller gatherings. Social restrictions. Empty seats. Loved ones healthy, but far away. People vulnerable and in isolation. The sick in quarantine or worse – hospital.

And yet the queues at the mall for that perfect gammon or gift are long, the frenzied preparations rife and the last minute dash to the post office inevitable. It’s almost as if we are trying to cover the darkness, uncertainty and cold with a renewed zest for perfection and holiday cheer.

Subconsciously we might be trying to make up for the year’s disappointments by pressuring ourselves into ‘producing’ the ‘perfect’ Christmas – whatever that may mean. Almost like laughing hard at a joke that’s not at all funny in an effort to fill the silence.

But what if this Christmas, instead of striving for perfection, we let the imperfections of the last year wash over us. What if instead of the perfect gift, the perfect home or the perfect tradition, we embrace the contrast of light and dark that Christmas – and this year in particular – bring.

Perhaps this Christmas we are in a better position than ever to give the necessary attention to the self-reflection we all so desperately need. Find solace in the silence. Let go of the past and stop chasing the future. Exchange presents for presence. Reflect on our experiences of loss, grace and resilience this year.

We might just find the love that is Christmas in the silence that follows when we exchange perfection for reflection.

Wishing you and yours a reflective Christmas. Why not buy your loved one a journal to help them have a reflective Christmas 2020