The World Needs Some Christmas Spirit From The Spirits of Christmas!
Christmas is upon us as 2020 thankfully draws to a close. This has been a holiday season filled with the conflicting emotions of worry and hope which is a suitable ending to the rollercoaster year we are completing. The start of a new decade naturally inspires hope for the future and expectations of great things ahead. Instead, 2020 has turned out to be the curmudgeon of the 21st century in desperate need of some Christmas spirit. Much like the old miser Scrooge himself, perhaps we are all in need of some Dickensian healing and it is time to call on the Spirits of Christmas to send us into 2021 on the right track.
The Ghost of Christmas Past would be a welcome addition to anyone's holiday party guest list this year. Years past always seem a little better through the rose tinted lenses of our memories, but now every year has the advantage of comparing itself to the dumpster fire that is 2020. Hopefully, we can all recognize that many of those little things that made past years so good are still present in each of our lives now. We can always learn to better appreciate the good things in our lives, so perhaps this can be something positive we all take from this year (every email needs a feel good moment).
The Ghost of Christmas Present would seem to be the big party pooper this year. While yachting and some other industries have, so far, weathered the Covid storm, many others have not been so fortunate. There are far too many Cratchit families out there now for the times we live in, or any time. In a perfect world the spirits would work their magic on Christmas Eve and we would all spend some extra effort to help our fellow human beings where ever we are. Since Charles Dickens is not actually the author of our fates, we must all make a conscious effort to be part of the solution for all of us not just for this year, but every year (every email needs a preachy moment...okay, not really).
Usually the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is portrayed as a fearsome specter making dire predictions for the future. Perhaps this role would need to be recast for our version into someone with gravitas but a sunnier outlook. Sure, there are plenty of dark days ahead with surging infection numbers, more lockdowns now and coming soon, and the daunting logistics of vaccinating entire populations. However, vaccines have shown us a light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel may be longer than we like with many months left to travel, but the end is there in distance and we will all get there together (every email needs a mildly inspirational moment).
It is time for us all to take a break from the 2020 chaos and focus on embracing the Chanukah/Christmas/Kwanza holiday spirit with each other and finally bidding this year adieu. So have some cocoa, watch one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol (I am partial to the 1970 musical version - Scrooge), enjoy some holiday time with those closest to you, and hold a Zoom Holiday Party (No in-person parties! It's still 2020!). At least you won't need a designated driver for your Zoom party.
(Full disclosure: I own Zoom stock)
Merry Christmas!
Sean Cassidy & the CYC Team
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