Christmas Spirit
Posted December 23rd, 2009 by tejvan13
(#24255)
I love Christmas. Not so much for the Christmas presents like my mum's annual handknited jumper, and that plastic indoor golf set I'll never use beyond boxing day. It certainly isn't because of the interminable piped music beaming Slade's Merry Christmas every time I step inside a shop, café or petrol station. Nor is it even for the joy of inundating my friends with poor Christmas cracker jokes like (What does Santa do with fat elves? He sends them to an Elf Farm!) I love Christmas for other reasons.
Last weekend the British and Irish and French centres met in London for a Christmas party. Carols, songs, meditation, food, comic skits. A great mix of activities that put a smile on your face in one way or the other. If I might just add Premamrita is really excellent with his Tommy Cooper routine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMRJMEJW2k(Tommy Cooper)
"You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice." - T.Cooper
Guru always knew that when we were happy we'd make the great progress. When we are happy we can inspire others, and even the smallest act of kindness can make such a difference (see: Jogyata's recent post: http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/forums/24250
It was my own Guru, Sri Chinmoy, who helped me understand the true meaning of Christmas. In particular I love the Christ songs he composed in a song Book Jesus The Seeker, Christ The Saviour. So powerful and soulful, these songs capture the essence of Christmas more than any long speech ever could.
We put together a collection of Christ songs at Radio Sri Chinmoy for you to enjoy.
http://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/radio/407/
God bless, Mountain Silence. How much I would like to visit a church or sacred space to hear them performing this kind of Music live over Christmas. - Who knows, perhaps in a hundred years time, this kind of music will be replacing the ersatz we hear so often these days .
Despite the rampant commercialism and ersatz Christmas festivities, I think everyone can relate to this Christmas spirit which encourages us to offer some good will to others and think of nobler ideals. This spirit may often appear drowned amidst the roar of commercialism, but, this inner message of Christmas can also be unexpectedly powerful a spirit that caused a truce in the trenches (http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/forums/9891) or just helps people to see the brighter side of life.
Hope everyone has a good Christmas. Now, I must go off and brush up on my Christmas cracker jokes....
Tejvan
p.s. Did you know that Santa's not allowed to go down chimneys this year? It was declared unsafe by the Elf and Safety Commission.
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Your post was an inspirational start to get us in the mood for some Holiday cheer, or should I say 'cheerfulness'. And this cheerfulness does not usually depend on the amount of or value of the outer gifts we may give or receive, as you so clearly stated in the outset of your story. Sharing the joys of meditation and spiritual music is one way to really enjoy the Christmas spirit, especially when it is with new disciples and seekers.
In New York last weekend we had a Holiday celebration of sorts. In the Oneness-Heart Centre, which is the name given by Guru for the newest Centre we established a few years back for the newer disciples in New York, we had a function for anyone who wanted to come, new and old. The newer disciples and seekers who have been recently coming to our classes put on a performance of Guru's music along with some of us, the 'older' disciples.
For me it was a real treat which was very beneficial to my consciousness and well-being. Practicing Guru's English and Bengali songs with seekers and new disciples, and then performing them in front of 'a packed house', was a very rewarding experience. It was lots of fun, inspirational, and got me to practice my sarod more than I would have normally done.
We had over 20 people in our choir and ensemble performing a number of Guru's English songs followed by about four Bengali songs. It was quite powerful as the newer people, some of whom have not even become disciples yet, were totally enjoying performing and listening to these immortal songs.
We then were treated to special performances from some one 'month old' disciples who sang for us in their specialized style. Rezaul, from Bengladesh originally, sang devotional Tagore songs for us as he also played the harmonium. Elena sang some beautiful operatic songs like 'Ave Maria' in Latin and another famous song in German.
We were then served a wonderful meal with delicious dishes from various newer disciples mostly. As we ate we enjoyed a video of some of the performance of the Songs of the Soul Concert by Ghandarva Loka Orchestra and other singers and performers from Bengladesh last week.
The snow started falling just as we were beginning our 'Holiday Function', which made it seem even more like a joyous celebration coinciding with Christmas. Although we did not have a Christmas Tree or any of the traditional customs such as Christmas music or gift exchanges, the true spirit of the holiday was very much alive and present.
Sharing the joy of spiritual songs and celebration, especially with new friends, seekers and disciples, certainly adds a very meaningful and charming dimension to the Holidays. The Christmas spirit is ironically not what the commercial world has sold us on but instead the simple sharing of that pure and simple Truth that the Christ embodied and represented. Celebrating the birth of Christ, of this new hope for the future founded upon our faith and devotion, brings much spiritual benefit and joy to all those who choose to celebrate in this spiritually meaningful way.
May all those who wish to really enjoy this festive time have the time to reflect on the joy and peace that this Holiday Season is really meant to offer us. Allowing the 'Christ' of Christmas to shine through all the more modern and commercialized rituals and celebrations we see all around can truly bring new life, new hope and a much needed joy and peace to this weary and struggling world.
Gratefully wishing a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year,
Arpan
I caught the Christmas Spirit about a week ago on December 15th when two moments converged on the same day. I must admit that this year I have been playing catch up ever since Thanksgiving and was seriously tardy in my now traditional activities of adopting a family to buy presents for at a social service agency for children, participating in the Toys for Tots toy drive, etc.
Then there's the slight problem that the Christmas tree at my house is up but not yet trimmed - good thing my holiday starts tomorrow afternoon so the tree will be decorated for Christmas... Can I somehow blame the blizzard last weekend that left most housebound as anywhere from 15 to 20 inches of snow fell from the sky, absolutely guaranteeing there will be a white Christmas in New England this year?
It was not as if I hadn't had opportunities to catch the spirit earlier in the month with a snowfall the first weekend in December and a festive holiday party with co-workers early in the month as well. However, my head was still swirling in Mazatlan, where the temperature was in the mid 80's F and swimming in the ocean and sitting on the beach sent me home with a slight sunburn.
I certainly left my heart in Mazatlan even though my "body" came home the end of November. Instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I had visions of statues and visions of children running with the World Harmony Run torch and eating pizza with mustard (!) at the local mall where the Jharna Khala exhibit was finishing up...
What two things signaled the arrival of the holiday spirit a week ago? The first aha moment came when I walked down to the Post Office on my supper hour from work and encountered a line almost out the door and no machine vending stamps in the lobby. I turned around and walked right back, lamenting that I had not purchased holiday postage stamps sooner if I wanted to send Christmas cards with the requisite Christmas stamp. I was commiserating with co-workers when I returned, seeing if there was anyone who I could beg some stamps from. I kept hearing similar tales of "woe" from all I approached. One person went to the Post Office three times before finally relenting and waiting in a line that seemed never-ending.
Then came the "aha" - as I moaned to one coworker waiting on patrons near my desk. The customer checking out some library books declared that we must have just missed each other because she also just came from the post office down the street. Then she calmly and valiantly held out a book of Christmas stamps and offered to sell them to me. Hooray! Hooray for random acts of kindness at the holidays! That put me in the Christmas spirit and as she refused to let me pay more than they cost her, I wished her to receive much kindness in return.
My visit from the stamp fairy happened the same day I was insanely busy with preparations for hosting a "Drop In and Decorate Cookie Donation" Event at the library. The premise is simple but the results are sweet. Bake sugar cookies in advance in a variety of shapes and sizes with cookie cutters and make royal icing tinted a rainbow of colours. Then gather together for a cookie decorating party with the purpose of donating the cookies afterwards to a local food pantry or other social agency in the community.
Our event featured Christmas music playing in the background with decorating (mostly) by local high school students belonging to the Honor Society. Apparently to be a member of the honor society requires more than good grades - there is a hefty service requirement as well. Our cookies decorated by the students and others were then donated to the local Senior Center run by the town as a treat during their annual Christmas Party/Dinner held today.
One person on the dropinanddecorate website calls it "cookie love" because it is a unique way to offer goodwill to others and having the event during the season of giving really "helps to make the season bright".
The cookies themselves ended up getting decorated in creative and artistic ways. The students started writing with icing on the cookies words such as hope and peace. They made peace symbols and smile faces on the cookies.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dartmouthpubliclibraries/sets/7215762301405...
Apparently the ghosts of Woodstock past have landed in the hearts of these youngsters born long after the flower power era had faded into a memory.
This cookie donation event epitomizes Christmas for me and I certainly hope the seniors enjoyed their helping of cookie love served up today at the Council on Aging holiday party.
Sharani
Hello Sharani,
I think Christmas and its spirit flew in with Santa and flew out with him at the same time - where did it go? Who is speeding up time? When I was a kid, Christmas took foreevvvver to arrive and that was from the starting point of Christmas Eve! This year, the season seems to have come and gone in a flash.
Speaking of being a kid - everyone should head over to the Flickr page that has the decorated cookies on it via the link you gave. Here it is again:
http://tinyurl.com/ykty3fl
What fun. And yes, the cookies do reflect vestiges of 'flower power' perhaps demonstrating Carl Jung's theory of the "collective unconscious". It could even be indicative of the concept of oneness that Sri Chinmoy often wrote and spoke about. Or maybe they have seen pictures of the groovy designs that were prevalent during their parents (grandparents?!) day.
I have shared your cookie photos and story on Stumble Upon.
Natalia