So my intention was also to change everything about December and the Christmas season. Cause usually I am totally useless in December. I am The Grinch, just face it!
My years working in shops spoiled my Christmas mood completely. It was the most stressful time of the year, people behaved weird and - believe me - most of them where pissed to buy Christmas presents for their "loved ones" ...
In my beginnings, when I was working in supermarkets, on December 24th we started work at 4 am, stressed ourself with all the stressed customers through shopping hours, just to clean for a couple of hours more afterward. So I arrived home in the late afternoon and tried to get myself into some Christmas mood at least.
While my parents were still with us Christmas had it "rules". We all came together, we were eating and drinking together, exchanged presents.
After my parents house was not my parents house anymore ... my sibblings started to spend Christmas Eve in their own circle of family. Children had children already and the circles grew from year to year.
For a couple of years I was invited to my brother´s place in Vienna.
I packed my things and drove there after shops closed on December 24th. Work was not stressful anymore now that I worked in a fashion store. Yes, there were customers who desperately were searching for gifts in the last minute but most of the people just strolled around to kill some time before the celebrations could start. We, the stuff, had time to drink some champagne and to take it easy.
Arriving in Vienna my niece and me usually went to a Christmas market. I guess if you are not in Christmas mood and you visit one of Vienna´s Christmas market on December 24th you must be a complete weirdo to not feel "Christmassy" at all ...
After that we went home and prepared ourself for an elegant Christmas Dinner made by my sister in law who loves to cook special meals and serve them in the right ambiance.
The following Christmas holidays we usually spent indoor. And those days I loved most! We were hanging out together, mostly in our pyjamas, had long brunches and talked about everything. We played games and had so much fun! We watched the typical Christmas movies on TV and listened to Christmas songs.
I believe 2007 was our last Christmas together.
From then on I avoided Christmas as much as possible! I became The Grinch! I hated the month December and everything around it. I became more depressed every year. If someone asked me about my plans for Christmas, my answer usually was: "Trying to avoid it and praying it will be over soon!"
So this year, this wonderful year of 2019, ... when finally everything fell into places, when so many knots have burst, when I was able to grow and learn so much, when I met important people ... when I started my 49th year of life - 7x7 - the absolute new beginning ... this special year I decided to change my Christmas Blues into a new December Calmness.
Cause, let´s face it ... which a friend of mine made me to:
I do love the Christmas lights here in Malta.
I do love the Christmas songs.
I do love Christmas cookies, ginger bread and "speculatius".
I do love walking in sunshine while Austria is sending snow pictures over ...
I do love the Christmas decoration in shops and shopping centers.
I do love the thought that I do not have to work in those shops and shopping centers anymore ... !
So I put a daily reminder on my phone: "YOU ARE HAPPY" ... just in case.
I will spend as much time at the sea as possible. I will drink hot chocolate in cozy places and pamper myself as much as possible.
I will let the Christmas Spirit return into my life!
Not by going back to the stereotype Christmas thingy, which I do not like. Christmas is not about eating and drinking too much, buying gifts without putting one´s heart in it, or spending time with "family" one does not want to spend time with at all. It´s not a MUST and a HAVE TO.
I also have nothing to do with the religious part of it. Though I like the Christmas celebrations of the churches here in Malta, where a lot of children are involved, where Christmas songs are played by bands and people have a big smile on their faces.
For me December should become a month of calmness, a month of reflexion at the end of the year. A month where I make sure to spread love and happiness. A smile here, a helping hand there, a nice word or a compliment to brighten someone´s day.
My company planned a Christmas project for this year:
They gave us names of children living in an instituion for troubled children here in Malta. We should choose one name of a child and buy a gift for her or him.
I love the idea!
So I chose a little boy, 3 years old, who is into "Shaun the Sheep". I was supposed to get him a gift from the character of Shaun the Sheep.
With a high mood - because I would be able to make a little boy happy and it is so much fun to buy a gift for a little kid for Christmas - I started my mission.
... after the third shop where they told me they never heared about "Shaun the Sheep" I was close to tears!
"Sorry, but you will not find "Shaun the Sheep" here in Malta."
"But I have to! I really have to! I need to make a little boy happy. I can´t fail on him! I can´t disappoint that little fella! I simply can´t!"
...
There was one young English shop assistant and another Maltese shop assistant in another shop who really wanted to help me and thought of anything possible.
In the end I ordered a toy of "Shaun the Sheep" online from UK - express delivered!
The day the parcel arrived I was soooo relieved! ... I made it! Thank God I made it!
But not only this:
there were friends and colleagues who had tears in their eyes when I told them about my - almost mission impossible.
They asked me to show them the toy and had big grins on there faces when the saw the little "Shaun the Sheep" with a sleeping hat which bobble is supposed to glow in the dark.
When I brought the gift to HR and told my story again, tears where flowing.
And finally I bought some chocolate and went back to the two shop assistants who supported me so warmly.
The Maltese lady was not working that day, so I left the chocolate and a little Thank You note with her colleague - "From the one who was searching for "Shaun the Sheep", Thank you for your help! I made it!"
The young English girl was at her working place. I told her how successful I was in the end and showed her a picture of the toy. She was so happy that I made it! When I finally produced the chocolate for her she was overwhelmed.
"May I give you a hug?", she asked with glossy eyes.
"Of course you may!" ... and we hugged thight for a long time.
This little "Shaun the Sheep" toy is the mascot of my new and my personal Christmas Spirit!
This is how I want Christmas to be from now on! Putting a smile on people´s faces ... putting tears of happiness in our eyes and hug people - even if they are strangers!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!
