Once upon a midnight clear & once upon a time- We as human beings passed our stories on. In the evenings after dinner & during the winter months, Our tales were spoken and sung, To teach and entertain us.
This oral tradition has existed since we learned to speak. From the beginning of homosapiens we have used tales to convey stories, ideals, history, and lessons.
The holiday season is no exception. It is during these winter months that we as children were told tales of Christmas. What Christmas means and how we celebrate. As well as tales of Christmas’ past.
One such tale is the story of a man who for some became known as the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the father of the Christian faith and for many he is their father as well.
Whether you believe this man to be your God or not, he has lessons to teach us all. For if not a God, he is surely a man of great wisdom and healing.
For myself, I don’t have the answers. This does not mean, that I don’t learn for Jesus. That the lessons brought to me through tales of the past don’t influence and teach me.
This holiday season I encourage you to close your eyes, reach a peaceful place within yourself, and open your mind to the world. To the tales of humanity.
It is in this holiday season that we are taught the importance of love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. We are taught how to be better human beings. Something, we all can strive to be.
Humanity, to me means- the heart of who we are. Do we look after ourselves, demonstrating that self-love? Do we look after one another, acknowledging and honoring our interconnectedness? Do we look after the world- our birth and home for this lifetime and potentially for many lifetimes to come?
We are human beings, learning and growing individually and also collectively. We have learned that the Sun does not revolve around the Earth, but the other way around. We have learned that 2+2=4. Just as we have learned that illness is caused by germs and can be passed from person to person.
These pieces of knowledge we possess, came to us through tales and stories. The stories of their discoveries and through the tales of the people who discovered these truths.
We have used tales to pass on what we have learned. It could be a story about something we did or witnessed in our lifetime (maybe an autobiography). It could be a tale about a great ancestor and what they saw or did (maybe a biography).
These stories could also come from history. Sometimes we as people write history down to share our victories, and sometimes they have been written down to share our defeats and our wrong doings, so that we may never repeat them again.
The Holocaust, the World Wars, slavery, and even tales of Napoleon have become essential staples in our classrooms. Why? Because they teach us our past, so that we may know the signs and stop them from happening again.
We are human beings, which means just as we’ll learn, we’ll also make mistakes. This is ok.
This holiday season as you open your mind, listen and watch the world. Follow the signs of healing and love. For these lessons are some of the best things you’ll ever learn.
Your Daily Dose of Christmas:
A List of Christmas Storybooks:
- The Polar Express by: Chris Van Allsburg
- Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by: Robert Barry
- The Little Drummer Boy illustrated by: Kristina Rodanas
- Christmas Moccasins by: Ray Buckley
- The 12 Days of Christmas a pop-up celebration by: Robert Sabuda
Christmas Song: Christmas Town by, Danny Deadorff
Christmas Movie: The Nutcracker and The Four Realms
- Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXfxLIuNJvw
Daily Affirmation:
- “I open my eyes to the stories of Earth and humanity, so I may learn them easily and enjoyably.”