Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

IT’S that time of year again. And every year, whether we like it or not, we go through the same rituals.

This time though, there is a harsher, cruel edge, as the reality that many among us are without jobs, without homes because of firestorms or foreclosures and with multitudes facing what many doomsayers in the media believe to be bleak times. As companies in many industries are forced to close shop and let go their employees, the misery index is expected to go on an upward trajectory in the years ahead. Many who are facing retirement are aghast at seeing their nest eggs decimated by more than half, their golden parachutes deflated and sinking like lead to the murky depths of uncertainty. These are troubled times for many and even those who consider themselves relatively safe from the slings of outrageous fortune will still feel the pain of their fellowmen. If it’s any consolation, no one is exempt from some kind of pain and anguish. This is a time of winnowing and thinning, just like the fall season when we prepare for hibernation and rest and when balance must to be restored by slowing down the pace to bring back equilibrium.

However, there’s t ime enough to worry about all that. For now, Christmas gives us a major reprieve. We have a solid excuse to still find joy, peace and contentment and even rediscover what Christmas really means. Perhaps, stripped of the material layers, the Christ-centered core values of a lean Christmas will come to the fore. Tough times always bring out the best of humanity.

Going through the motions, we think that the emotion should follow. We do the lists, the cards, the shopping for presents, the decor, the cooking, the parties — hoping that by doing all these we would have an infusion, a dose of the Christmas spirit within us. Some people have it down to an art and science. They know the secret of being joyful in all kinds of weather and you can see it in the glimmer in their eyes, the extra bounce in their gait and the aura that they exude about them. A great many, however, still feel empty even if they fill their time with activities and max out their cards at the shopping malls. Deep down, they know that things are just stuff, no matter how beautiful or how pricey.

The spirit of Christmas is a mystery. It cannot be pinned down. It cannot be put on. It is only when we dwell within the deep recesses of our souls that the true spirit of Christmas comes slowly, quietly, enfolding us in its warm embrace. That somewhat elusive spirit will come and alight upon us like a butterfly during quiet moments when our senses are sharpest. Take a deep breath and experience Christmas with your senses. Lose the remote control. Break free of the electronic leashes: the iPod, the Blackberry, the iPhone for a little while. Take the time to just be.

We can use our sense of sight and see, as though for the first time, the splendor of nature all around us — of trees garbed in vermilion red, yellow and gold putting on their finest raiment in quiet anticipation of some glorious event about to happen. A canopy of blue skies with light wisps of fluffy clouds provide a backdrop for the verdant hills and mountains bathed in shafts of golden light that would send Monet, if he were still alive, splashing paint furiously onto his canvas to create impressions of light on the same subject at different hours of the day. At night, houses and apartments on the street where you live are ablaze in twinkling icicle lights simulating the glow of millions of fireflies.

Though a sight to behold, our puny human efforts pale in comparison with a glimpse of the universe just above our heads — stars that seem to shine brightest on the clearest skies about this time of the year. Step out during a clear night, turn off the boob tube, get out of the rut of the insipid details and mundane activities that seem to pass for real life and look heavenward. If you are patient, the sight of shooting stars and meteor showers might reward you. Better yet, make a beeline for that awesome telescope at Griffith Observatory and prepare to be amazed. Stargazing can leave you breathless in the same way it has moved generations of men before us. The best part about it is that like the air we breathe, the sight of the heavens is absolutely free. The most awe inspiring nightly galactic shows are at about this time of the year. Some nights, you might want to search the heavens for that one shining star that the Magi used as a guide to steer them by through the desert looking for the Christ Child two thousand years ago. It might just happen that during one of these nights while stargazing, you might rise above our puny mortal concerns and stand in awe of the majesty of creation. That we are a part of it all puts everything in perspective. That while the part anyone can play may be tiny and insignificant, we are part of creation, nonetheless. That life is a gift and that what we do with that life is our gift in return. As best as scientists can figure out, the universe is some thirteen and a half billion years old. Being aware of this mind-boggling space-time continuum can take a huge bite out of our sometimes obsessive-compulsive self-absorption. It can cut down our bloated egos down to size. Even if we live to be a hundred, human life is just a blink of an eye in eternity.