This is the first year in a long time that we are not spending Christmas in Paso Grande. Our little cabin in the middle of nowhere is a place where we can finally take a break and relax. Naturally, our dogs and cat love it there. They are able to run around and be.
But this year, due to the virus, if we wanted to travel to San Luis, (the nearby province where our cabin is located) we would have to register with the government and go through a whole series of forms. In addition, the cabin is near a river where many people visit during this time. Even if we were willing to be on the government registry, I am not willing to be in an area where there’s a ton of people. We’ve been lucky to dodge the virus all this time, I would be so pissed if we caught it now.
So here we are in Cordoba sweating our butts off, watching movies, drinking, and waiting for my family to call me on FaceTime. Today isn’t too much different than any other day. Which got me thinking, what is Christmas? People get so upset about Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas. They stress about finding the right gifts and making the day special. I think this is why Christmas is one of my least favorite holidays. I’m not a fan of holidays that come with high expectations; New Year’s, Valentine’s, and Xmas. When a certain day has certain expectations hanging over it, you can bet your last dollar it will not go as planned.
“So here we are in Cordoba sweating our butts off, watching movies, drinking, and waiting for my family to call me on FaceTime.”
So, what is Christmas? It’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ? A celebration of Winter Solstice? Or is it a holiday to promote spending and high expectations of the perfect life? If anything good has come from this virus, it could be that we’ve realized how family and friends are important. Thus, Christmas is a time to appreciate the people close to you. We should celebrate that we all got through a long ass year. It’s a time to stop and remember all the good in the world and forget about the bad. What’s the Christmas spirit? To spread joy, give to those less fortunate, and believe in hope. Those tenets, aren’t specific to one religion, it’s universal.
Why do we have to wait until December 25th to have the Christmas spirit? Why can’t we try to maintain those 3 simple tenets all year long? If we all embraced this thinking all year long, would the world be a better place? I think so. The whole world has gone through an unusual crisis. WWII was probably the last time that most of the world suffered together. I hope we all can learn from this crisis and start caring for one another with no politics, and no greed.
Today while we all get drunk and eating excessively, and dreading tomorrow’s long lines to exchange the gifts we received, raise a glass to all our loved ones near and far. And don’t forget to believe in better days.
running with dogs 