Wednesday, December 24, 2008

White Christmas


A few days ago, on the Winter Solstice, a dump of snow covered the Earth in white billows. Huge flakes drifted down from heaven like confetti in a breeze.
We are having a white Christmas—the first in over ten years here in Vancouver (on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada). And I love it.

I love how the snow wraps everything in a blanket of soft acceptance. How it creates a dazzling face on a dark Earth. How it refuses to distinguish between artificial and natural. It covers everything—decorated house, shabby old car, willowy trees, manicured lawn—beneath its white mantle. I love how it quiets the Earth. Have you ever gone for a walk in the fresh snow? Boots crunching… snow glistening in the moonlight…

Snow is magic. It reveals as it cloaks. Animals leave their telltale tracks behind their silent sleuthings.

Snow is playful. It beckons you to stick out your tongue and taste the clouds. Snow is like an unruly child. Snow is the trickster. It stirs things up. Makes a mess. It is the herald of change, invigorating, fresh and wondrous. Cars skid in it and squeal in objection. Grumpy drivers honk their horns, impatient to get home; while others sigh in their angry wake. Boys (of all ages) venture outside, mischief glinting in their eyes, and throw snowballs. Others, fearful of the chaos and confusion that snow brings, hide indoors out of the cold.

Snow is Christmas. It brings out the best and the worst in people. This is a Holy season—whether you are a Christian celebrating the birth of Jesus or of another faith or belief embracing this holy time of Joy in Giving and Receiving. It provides each of us with the opportunity to be exactly who we are and who we are meant to be. It is a time to be genuine. A time to be sincere. A time to be REAL. A time to make the best of our lot and be thankful for our gifts: whether we are celebrating a turkey feast with a family we don’t get along with, alone in a new town, working the night shift in a factory, oppressed by the state, or ill in the hospital. It is a time to be thankful for the gifts we have been blessed with, even the hardships. Especially the hardships. For they are ours to carry. Ours to make into something wonderful.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas. In keeping with the spirit of Jesus Christ, "Merry Christmas" has come to embody many things of a holy nature and really includes many celebrations around the world. I wish you joy in these. Happy Winter Solstice. Happy Hanukah. Happy Bodhi Day. Happy Day of the Wandering Goddess. Happy Soyal. Happy Saturnalia. Happy Yule. Happy Zartusht-no-diso. I also respectfully acknowledge the following: 1000 Lamp Mandala Ceremony; Human Rights Day; Krismas; Kwanza; National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women; Omisoka; Shabe-Yalda (if I've left any out, please excuse my ignorance--it was not intentionally omitted).
This one's for you, Dar, you trickster. I love you to pieces. Don't ever change. Merry Christmas!




Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Nina,

I trust you enjoyed your walk in the snow this aft! I am opting to enjoy the snow from the comfort of my living room couch where I will stay dry and warm. I do remember crunching in the snow in days gone by. The snow here on the wet west coast is not quite the same...

Merry Christmas,
Baby Brie

Anonymous said...

Had a lovely Hanukah! Here in the US Northeast we always have a white Christmas. Grandaughter kept us all entertained, last night, bringing us all back to the joys of childhood.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

HEALTH CARE said...

Happy new year.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

A wonderful Christmas theme. Hope you had a good one, Nina.

Nina Munteanu said...

Hey, Baby Brie... I did, thanks. It is STILL snowing here! LOL! I am originally from the east coast where the crunching snow and sparkling snow is telltale. But I do remember it here a few times as well...

Nina Munteanu said...

Thanks for sharing your Hanukah, Upstate... yes... in the northeast US, you would pretty much always have a white Christmas... I'm originally from the Montreal area in Quebec. I just LOVE the snow!

Nina Munteanu said...

Aree and Jean-Luc... Thanks for your wishes. All the best to you and your loved ones in the New Year. May 2009 be full of the magic that makes us the best we can possibly be.

HAPPY 2009!

Greg said...

Yep, been a long time since I've seen so much snow. Even being from Calgary, that was a lot of snow. Unfortunately it changed some travel plans for me, but c'est la vie... a beautiful Christmas all the same.

Happy New Year, Nina, and all the best for the season. =]

Nina Munteanu said...

Thank you, Blackburn. A very Happy New Year to you and your loved ones... 2009 will be an amazing year. In many ways... :) (I think I'll finally get to meet you in 2009... big grin)...
Best Wishes,
Nina

Greg said...

Yes. A New Year's Resolution, already. (Pencils into calendar... meet Nina.) =]

Nina Munteanu said...

LOL! Oh, my, now we're into "New Year's Resolution" territory! HAR! Well, it's gonna be a sweet one!

Nina Munteanu said...

Well, Vishnu... you would have a better chance at obtaining good customer attention (particularly in the English market) if you did some editing... Your comment here (not the best English) is not doing you justice or advertizing your webservice well. I'd recommend my own English writing guide, "The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!", available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-Writer-Get-Published-Write/dp/0982378300. Good luck!
Nina

Anonymous said...

I want to thank you so much for dedicating this for me. I'm also sorry that this is sort of late. This is because I did not know that you can post a comment. I was scared as well. I will thank you once again.
Thanks Dar

Nina Munteanu said...

LOL! It would be just like you -- the trickster -- to comment two years after! HAR! Hey, nice to see you here... finally!

Your friend,
Nina
p.s. come back again... and maybe don't wait a year or two...