Christmas in July

I’ve always had a thing about Christmas.  Not exactly the religious part, although that was certainly a part of my early upbringing.  It’s more that the season can bring out good things in people that don’t always emerge on regular days.

Not surprisingly, I even collect books about Christmas.  I may have one of the most extensive collections of books about Christmas this side of the North Pole.  I’m not sure how many, somehow counting them seems too business-like, but I have nearly three-quarters of a four story bookshelf that I had as a child filled with books with the holiday theme. 

This is just the beginning...

I won’t deconstruct this love of Christmas, but maybe telling you a little bit about some of the books will be enlightening.  Some stories tell about an unexpected detour to a different holiday than the character planned.  Getting snowbound before the final destination is a favorite of many writers.

There are also those stories where an animal is involved.  A dog or cat, or in one story a donkey needs help from a human to find its way home.  Or in others, a special animal might do the same service for a human.

In many stories there is an emotional or behavioral change on the part of the main character, a la Scrooge.  It's good to be reminded that we can learn and grow and become better.

Then there's simply the idea of people being around family, giving and receiving gifts, or just being loving and positive.  I must admit that I’m a sucker for happy endings, and I’ve never found a story involving Christmas that had anything other than a happy ending. 

So I will continue to search new and used book stores, Goodwill, the library’s sale area for any book that even hints at a Christmas theme.  Even if the story is a bit simplistic or even hackneyed, I know I will find elements that meet my need to enter the Christmas season even, maybe especially, in July.

By the way...We keep our stockings hung up all year.  We never know when something will show up in one of them.  

What’s Zen got to do with it?  What you focus on becomes larger in your experience.  So I have chosen on some of the very hottest days of the summer to concentrate on my favorite holiday.

If you are a someone who likes the positive feeling of Christmas, regardless of your spiritual tradition, why not hang a stocking up now and see what happens?  In the immortal words of that Zen Master, Auntie Mame, perhaps you, too "...need a little Christmas, right this very minute!”  There's a good chance you'll feel happier and maybe even a little cooler.   It sure worked for me!