Have you ever heard a song on the radio and found yourself humming, singing or maybe even whistling the tune all day long? The catchy melody, once enjoyable, has possessed you and is now annoying. By the way, it’s called an “ear worm.” Sometimes you even reach the point of wishing the ear worm would crawl right back into the radio speaker.
I had a similar experience right after Christmas, but this time it wasn’t a melody. I was proofing an email just before hitting the “Send” button. In describing to my friend my most recent activities, I had written these words – “Christmas is back in the attic.” That sentence grabbed me, burrowed into my brain like a worm of some kind, and stayed with me for two whole days. I pondered it and even meditated on it. Christmas! Back in the attic? I hate to think I said it. The attic is no place for Christmas – especially if your attic looks like ours. (I’m just guessing how our attic looks since Bill says if I ever saw it, we’d have to move.)
Is Christmas back in your attic?
Perhaps if we didn’t “pack” Christmas away, we could enjoy all year some of the things that bring us the most joy during the holidays — things like the generous spirit that makes us want to give and give more, like the warm greetings of “Merry Christmas” to store clerks and even strangers on the street, like the hopeful feeling that all is well, like the joy of friends and family gathering around our tables. Surprise! I don’t have to give up any one of those just because my artificial Christmas tree is in its green bag in the attic.
I hope those warm, fuzzy feelings of Christmas will be yours through a cold January and a scorching July. Sure – the Christmas sweaters are back in the plastic bags and the fruitcake is gone, (well almost), but the reason for the season is with us always. So my most recent ear worm has motivated me to make some resolutions for 2017. By the way, just so no one will think I’ve escaped from somewhere, I think I’ll replace “Merry Christmas” with a genuine smile and a “God bless you.”
