Holiday Spirit

Holiday Spirit

Where does the spirit of Christmas lie? Is it in the aftermath, as we take in torn, jolly paper and wipe off chocolate moustaches? Is it during the Christmas doing, wrapped in the holiday grins and encircling arms of family? Or is it in the preparations, the tingling of the fingers in the crossing of a bow or the throwing of silver tinsel on the tree?

Nay, my friends, nay. Christmas resides inside a globe that echos "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". I may not think of it for most of the year, but when December rolls around (or even the end of November!) it comes out of its storage box. I shake the glass dome and wind up the incorporated music box.

Christmas lives in those sparkly flakes swimming around the globe–suspended memories that touch me before settling on the sphere's floor again. The song plays slowly, skipping so many beats that leaves me wondering if the globe has forgotten, yet it always tinkles out some notes.

I jiggle the dome again and again, willing the shiny snow to stay airborne, where the magic lies.

But, don't be fooled by my story! It just seems like Christmas laughs there, ricocheting around the globe. However, spirit is a free feeling that can never be captured nor reined in from the ether. It is that "Whoopee!" sensation that slides through capillaries and makes the edges of a smile stretch even further across your face. It is that rush of warmth you feel every time you give a true hug. It is that electric energy you are recharged by when the air whips through your hair and your toes grab at the sea. It is also that quiet elation you feel breathing in at the top of a sun soaked hill.

We could just call the Christmas spirit simply spirit, as far as I am concerned. I experience it when I am with people I care about or when I do something I truly care about. It is that warm, fuzzy, plain "good" feeling.

When do you feel that way?

Text and photo: Kristen Mastromarchi