Each ornament I hang on the tree is placed with care and attention in exactly the right place, with my darling Pa’s glass baubles (which may well be from the very first Christmas in Australia, they are THAT old!) hung high just like they are every year, when we all have a good old giggle at Pa leaving us his fragile, shiny green balls. Because being present is a present in itself! While the busy-ness of December can be completely all-consuming, I choose to take each element of the silly season separately. The very first yoga sutra, At ha, asks us to be present. But there’s a good dash of samkalpa too!Ī Christmas full of happiness is a Christmas full of presence. Yes there are currants, raisins, cranberries and figs in my puddings. A heartfelt intention directed specifically towards the people we love. My daughter and I have had a tradition now for eighteen Decembers of taking the pudding basin, stirring it three times and putting a wish in there. Whether that is being truly present while unwrapping a present, savouring that first mouthful of Christmas cake and taking in all the layers of flavour or mindfully stirring the mixing bowl, preparing with great heart whatever it is that your loved ones salivate over, we all have the chance to stop and be very still in the middle of the frisson and madness. Little snapshots of life right here and now. The festive season at it’s heart is when we have such an amazing opportunity to be in touch with the small things that connect us to the people we love. As I grew older, I came to understand that his deliberate choice of words was just perfect. I was a little embarrassed by this as a child, wishing dearly Dad would just get on board the Aussie Christmas train and use a bit of Merry in the place of Happy. My Dutch East Indies born father was careful to use the phrase, “Happy Christmas” rather than “Merry Christmas” as that sparkly home-made banner of sentiment was hung across the front windows of our lounge room, facing outwards to the street. I come from a large Catholic family who placed a certain reverence on this special time of year. As we move through our December days, confronted by jingle bells at every shop window, and every streetscape adorned with all things merry and bright, we are without a doubt headed for that marvellous celebration.
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