What It's All About .

In this day and age, with so many hateful and hurtful and painful things in life, the holiday season is a great way to bring some joy into your life. A smile, happiness, love, joy. It's not often that word joy is used. The first thing that comes to mind for me upon hearing it? The song "Joy to the World" -- often sung at the Christmas Eve mass that we go to each year. But that's what it's really all about right? As the song goes: "Joy the world, the Lord is come".


I wrote a lengthy post last year around this time that had to do with the parasitic sickness of commercial Christmas that seems to infect so many. Whether you celebrate for religious reasons or celebrate for shits and giggles, or even celebrating just to put smiles on faces, it's a time for gift-giving and joy.

In my case, a great deal of that joy is in celebrating the religious beliefs that have been instilled in me since I was an infant. I've been surrounded by not just immediate family over the years, but a religious family too. And while they may be entirely spiritual (I just don't really know enough people well enough at my church to consider them family) I really find comfort in the Spirit and the everlasting and unending forgiveness and love that comes from them.

I was reminded today of the cliché "reason for the season" today by a great blogger named Carlotta, who runs her blog Carlotta Cisternas, aptly named for herself. A recent post featured a video of the story of Christmas -- as told my some adorable Australian children.

And so while religion is and has always been and always will be a big part of my life, I hope that whether you are religious or not that you find some joy in the film presented. And it is my sincerest hope, dream and wish, that no matter who you are, or where you are, or who you are with, that you find some joy in your life this holiday season.