Are we losing our “Christmas season”?

I just saw on TV that the Christmas market in Duisburg lasts 46 days. We’re already used to seeing Christmas cookies and chocolate treats in supermarkets as early as September. Christmas markets are becoming more and more of an event... 

Maybe it’s because of my age that I can’t really relate to it that much. At our house, the Advent season began with opening the first door on the Advent calendar (back then, they didn’t have chocolate, let alone toys). There was the Advent wreath, with the lighting of the first candle on the first evening of Advent, along with homemade cookies and singing Christmas carols. St. Nicholas Day was a real highlight. We actually used to polish our boots because we were told that St. Nicholas wouldn’t put anything in dirty shoes. Back then, our boots were filled with nuts, chocolate, an apple, and an orange… we were so happy!!!

Those 24 days seemed to drag on endlessly for us kids, but it was a time that still holds such beautiful memories for us today. How can we convey that to children today????

Where has the quiet reflection gone, the closeness of family, the anticipation of the holiday?

Is it just me, or is it simply the fast-paced nature of our times?

Warm regards

Petra

Dear Petra, 

I understand you very well.

The older we get, the more we can compare: That’s how it used to be, that’s how it is today. And the differences naturally become greater and greater, because the gap between then and now keeps widening and life moves at a faster pace. Everything is changing very rapidly these days, and not all of it is positive. But still, everyone lives in their own time and gathers their own experiences, which they then draw on later when reminiscing and comparing. That’s the way of the world.

It’s wonderful that you have such positive memories of the Christmas season. But we can’t turn back time. We do have the choice, after all, whether or not to let ourselves be swept up by the “Christmas industry.” After all, we have our own inner values—based on our experiences—that we can enjoy and celebrate. And when our children or grandchildren witness this, they might also feel the magic of Christmas and incorporate it into their own positive Christmas experiences. 

What we’ve passed on to our children, they’ll pass on to their children. That gives us hope.

Warm regards, Ina 

Fortunately, we older folks usually have the freedom to structure our time as we wish and can thus avoid some of the Christmas stress. For young people who are fully immersed in their careers, it’s not so easy. In December, they absolutely have to finish up year-end financial statements and annual reports, while also organizing a Christmas party and buying gifts in between. Even at school, there’s a flurry of important exams at the end of the year that the children have to prepare for. Where’s the contemplative spirit in all that? So let’s, as grandparents, try to pass on to our grandchildren a bit of the Christmas season as we experienced it.