All In The Family Christmas

The Christmas holidays are off and running, and along with them, the usual gripes.  The gripes are usually about personal inconveniences, like having to ‘put up’ with the family, having to make time for gift-buying, and fighting the crowds.  Luckily, not everyone sees the holidays in this light, and when I say all of us, I mean all who decide to enjoy this season and its merriment.  

When it comes to family, it’s the luck of the draw.  We don’t get to choose; our families are comprised of different individuals, each with their own set of traits, some of which may or may not be to everyone’s liking.  But they are our blood, and that takes precedence over all else.  I believe there are times when everything else should be set aside so that the present can be absorbed as it should be.  Living the moment without distraction can often teach us a lot.  By shedding our prejudices, we open ourselves up to details, otherwise unnoticed.  We may realize that it isn’t as bad as we were making it seem in our minds.  I guess I’m referring to tolerance, once again.  If, for example, you have a siter-in-law who is a racist, it’s one thing, but an opinionated grandpa who can’t hold in his gasses, that cousin who’s louder than all the rest, or the stereotypical auntie who loves to slobber you with kisses, these are not things to get bothered about, have a laugh instead.  We also can’t forget the children around us at these times of the year, who are absorbing everything they see and hear.  

Family gatherings are one of my favourite things.  My memories of Christmas are not of receiving gifts, but of all the faces, the jokes, the laughs, the love.  Many of those people are now gone, but the sounds and images will never leave me.  Even the misfit family reunions in the movies ended up alright in the end, most of the time, I think.  At least that’s the way I chose to remember it.  Actually, I also believe that this time of year continues to raise the spirits of most.  For those looking at a solo holiday season, I urge you to adopt a family for Christmas.  I may sound somewhat naive, but that’s the way I see it. There’s always hope.  For those who know someone who will be spending Christmas on their own, I urge you to extend an invitation.  It will probably feel like a gift to yourselves.  

As I write this, I remember the great actor and director, Rob Reiner, who made many of us laugh and cry, through his art. If you’re old enough, like me, you’ll remember that he began his career with a dysfunctional TV family.  This show was a good example of a family and its issues, and it too portrayed many examples of tolerance and respect amid dark situations.  It also showed us we could laugh, which is how I remember all my Christmases.  Let’s make that our common denominator, this season, and the rest.

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS