Silver bells....

These would be the two best words to describe the spirit meant to represent the Christmas season. Silver for tinsel, bells for music.  Silvery sounding chimes, bells ringing out.  But who hears bells anymore though? Do churches even have bells in their steeples anymore?  There are still Christmas carollers, and there are jingle bells, but what about the wonderful sound of the larger bells?

 Probably most of us sang this song at a Christmas concert during our school years.  Maybe you even got a little set of bells to jingle.
This year I am not going shopping in the city, so no crazy crowded malls for me.  Some of my shopping is happening online, and some at local stores.  I don't mind, as I have gotten tired of the crowds, and the impulse shopping. I dislike Boxing Day too.
So I guess it comes back to really beginning to think about what does make the holidays special. I am looking for simpler rituals.  There is too much hype leading up to the big day, and then it seems like such a letdown afterward.  It's time to focus on more meaningful experiences - not  office parties, overly expensive presents, and too much rich food.  So what can replace this?

 

Perhaps a quiet morning spent writing, a carefully prepared healthier meal without excess, and some other quiet activities, including a good movie?  Or save the movie for a late night event, and have a family game after supper.  Christmas should be a time of serenity.  Now if I could find a way to have silver bells ringing outside!

Christmas Fancies by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,
We hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago.
And etched on vacant places,
Are half forgotten faces
Of friends we used to cherish, and loves we used to know –
When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow.

 The magic of Christmas is what I think I am not able to find much anymore.  As a child it was so easy to enter into the wonder of the holiday season, but now that I'm older, it's much more difficult.  Sometimes you might think it not worth the effort to seek it out, but fortunately, that magic still does manage to sparkle, even if it's just for a few moments here and there.