![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Meri-Kirihimete_Merry-Christmas-150x103.png\")
I was going to post “oops, missed Monday’s blog”, except it wasn’t an “oops” but a deliberate decision.<\/p>\nI was going to post “oops, missed Monday’s blog”, except it wasn’t an “oops” but a deliberate decision.<\/p>\n
One reason why, of course, is that it was Christmas Day, which this year involved a large family gathering. Nonetheless,\u00a0 it would have been easy enough to post the pic to the right, along with a “Merry, Merry; Happy, Happy” for all oot thar.<\/p>\n
In this case, I was also away from home and all the usual blogging supports—but again, it was imminently possible to do a mini post as above.<\/p>\n
The main reason “why not” is that I got stuck on the “Merry, Merry; Happy, Happy” part. Not because I don’t wish one and all as much merriness and happiness as their lives can hold. I definitely do.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Xmas18_Christmas-dinner_a-225x300.jpg\")
Feasts: check.<\/p><\/div>\n
But I only have to pay the most fleeting attention to every form of communication—traditional news channels, social media, community newsletters, and water cooler conversations—to know that:<\/p>\n
i) The polar opposite of “peace on earth and goodwill to all people” is currently writ large on the world stage; and<\/p>\n
ii) A large number of people close to home are struggling to make ends meet and Christmas, with its celebratory emphasis on gift giving and festive food and drink, exacerbates financial and emotional pressures, in some cases disastrously.<\/p>\n
iii) These days, I also think we need to reflect not only upon “peace on earth and goodwill” to our fellow human beings, but on whether we are at peace with the planet and demonstrating goodwill toward the (still) myriad other species that live here with us. And where, not to put too fine a point on it, the greatest threat to their continued existence is our collective behaviours.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Christmas-15-001a-170x300.jpg\")
Gifts: check.<\/p><\/div>\n
While reflection may be a useful starting point, I don’t think it’s ever been enough. If I have a concern, I also have to ask myself what I’m doing to try and address it.<\/p>\n
So that was the sum of my Christmas reflections. The upshot was that I “just couldn’t” post anything for December 25 without recognizing—irrespective of who celebrates what, or how—that circumstances for so many, both in NZ and around the globe, are the opposite of merry<\/em>\/happy<\/em>\/festive<\/em>.<\/p>\n Clearly, there’s a huge amount out there over which I have little or no control, while also lacking the means to affect change. So I need to focus on what I can do and start with that.<\/p>\n Still relevant, 180 years on<\/p><\/div>\n For example, if Christmases spent with family and friends sustain positive bonds, then that is<\/em> a small contribution to maintaining peace and goodwill on a larger scale. But I shall be looking at ways to do so that dial back on the potlatch aspects of the food\/drink\/gift elements and focus more on transferring that spend to sustaining and supporting others within the neighbourhood or wider community.<\/p>\n None of which is rocket science or constitutes any sort of giant leap for the species, but I’m definitely feeling the need to “make it so” for 2024. And that, dear friends, is probably about as close as I’m going to get to a resolution as we head into New Year.<\/p>\n Aside from making it the Year of the Final End—all digits pretzelled that the Muses may prove kind! So fear not, whatever else I may feel called to do in 2024, I remain—first and foremost—book sworn. Not only because of my commitment to readers, but because I hope that the Wall story may add to the world’s net good.<\/p>\n I was going to post “oops, missed Monday’s blog”, except it wasn’t an “oops” but a deliberate decision. One reason why, of course, is that it was Christmas Day, which this year involved a large family gathering. Nonetheless,\u00a0 it would have been easy enough to post the pic to the right, along with a “Merry, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41775"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41790,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41775\/revisions\/41790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Christmas-Carol_Dickens.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/BookSworn-Banner-Names-300x79.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"