Welcome to December, the last month of the calendar year. As I thought about the posts for this month, my thoughts turned to December as the end of the year. But it’s not just an end. According to some, this is the most special month of the year.
The Most Special Month of Holidays
It’s a month of many holidays. See my posts from last year that gave you a little information about each holiday.
- Celebrating and Remembering: 5 December Holidays
- 5 December Celebrations
- 10 Celebrations during the third week of December
- 17 Celebrations during the final week of December
I’ve established that Christmas is my favorite holiday in these posts.
The Most Special Month of Birthdays
December is THE birthday month. Why?
For Christians (those who keep the spirit of Christianity), it’s the month we celebrate Christ’s birthday. That makes it an important birthday.
The second reason it’s THE birthday month? It’s my son’s birthday. His birth was the very best give I ever got.
December also includes one of my best friends’ birthday. And it includes a beloved aunt’s birthday (though she passed away many years ago) . Plus, many of my internet friends have birthdays in December.
Finally, December is my birthday month. Yay!
The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been. Madeleine L’Engle
It’s the End of the Year
Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.
Winston Churchill
It’s a time of year when we look back to see what we’ve accomplished and celebrated and lost. There are always some losses during a year. It’s the nature of things.
There are always deaths and medical or emotional challenges during the year. These losses can cut to the quick.
There are always losses in things we didn’t do or accomplish or finish. Do you take those losses as signs of failures? I used to. But what if they aren’t failures?
What if they were changes or new information? They may have been paths you tried and discovered didn’t work for you. Or they were an overly ambitious goal under the circumstances. Or they were something you thought you wanted and learned you really didn’t. Those aren’t failures. Those are steps on the path of life, on the path of learning.
Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey
This year, try to see the losses as part of the balance of things, the circle of life (if you’ll excuse my use of that phrase).
A Note for those who Find December Depressing
Don’t take this post as an admonishment if you suffer from depression. Depression is real. It can be more than “mental,” it can be a physical ailment. People who live with depression battle some of the most difficult demons in life and are some of the strongest people I know.
I hope reading my post, Alone for the Holidays, will help. If depression is making your daily activities difficult, reach out for help. Visit the national mental health help site. If you don’t have a therapist or counselor, call SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-726-4727. Or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 or Live Online Chat.
The Most Special Month
Make your December the most special month. Celebrate your learning, your growth, your achievements, your “losses,” and YOUR favorite holiday. Won’t you help me celebrate by sharing your end of year or holiday reflections?
Happy birthday! (And thanks for this great post)!
Thanks, Jan. And Happy Birthday to you, too!