The Grinch who stole Christmas was right about a great many things, and he doesn’t get enough credit for that. Atop his snowbound wintry mountain, all he wanted was some peace and quiet during the holiday season without having to hear the off-key yowling of a bunch of Whos. I too find myself craving quiet and silence, though I do my best not to steal Christmas from the rest of the people.
To that end, Andy and I stopped throwing our annual Christmas party several years ago – long before COVID made it ok for the socially anxious among us to embrace the happy solitude and one-on-one gatherings that once seemed so at odds with the bombast and cacophony of Christmas. Why should we cram ourselves into noisy rooms and raucous events in the name of… Jesus? Is that what His birth embodies today?
The simplicity of that celebrated manger scene – just mother and child and whatever cuck role Joseph played in the whole thing – makes for a lovely scene, largely for its very simplicity. A few years ago, right after I stopped drinking and starting realizing what was important to me, I stepped out of the social scenes that so often signify the holiday season, and started setting up dinners and visits with friends who mattered the most to me. Quiet, intimate, and marked by bonhomie and comfort, they were sprinkled throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas and offered the opportunity to connect with people in more meaningful fashion than any party or social gathering could ever afford. My main regret at every party I have ever thrown has been that I didn’t get to really talk to anyone because I felt like I had to talk to everyone. The host’s unfortunate dilemma.
At this point in my life, that’s what really matters, and that’s what this Christmas season is going to be. A holiday stroll with Kira, a holiday weekend in Boston with Chris and Suzie, and dinners with various friends along the way will round out the time I’m happily and cozy ensconced at home with Andy – a joy unto itself more than ever these days. We’ve all been battered a bit by the world this year – may this last month go easy on us, leading into a calmer New Year.
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