Not because it’s gift-giving time, although that’s nice, too. I love to see, hear and feel the joy that the world is collectively exuding. Whether or not you’re ready for the holidays, you can’t miss it. It’s infectious and everybody catches it. It seems that we are inundated with holiday messaging earlier and earlier each year: flyers about Black Friday sales in the mail and TV commercials with happy families gathered around Christmas trees. I’ve been trying to ignore all the hype and put off spending until after Thanksgiving, commiserating with everyone else complaining that Christmas is too commercial and speculating that soon the hype will start on Labor Day. But now that it’s December, I can let loose—and I can’t help but wonder if all that holding-it-in adds to my giddiness. It’s like a bug has bitten me; I have the holiday fever. Right now, I’m busy mapping out a gift-buying course designed to beat the crowds.

While the commercial part of holidaying is fun and infectious, what I enjoy even more is the “people” part of it all. It seems to me that we’re all happier, more generous of spirit and in better moods during the holiday season. I suspect that despite the commercialization of Christmas, we all sense—maybe subconsciously—that there’s something deeper and more heart-connected about this time of year. And that something fuels a sense of connectedness among us, a spirit of generosity even toward people we don’t know. This is confirmed by the fact that 31 percent of Americans’ annual charitable giving occurs in December. A recent survey revealed that 84 percent of us say they feel the most generous around the holidays. Yep, the Christmas spirit is in the air, and this is as it should be. The world—Christian or not, believers or not, wittingly or not—is being impacted by the real reason for the season.

That our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s birth is celebrated on December 25 makes it a sacred time. His humble entry into the world and his death on the cross 30 years later to provide a sin-escape for those who believe in Him, is woven into the fabric of our society and pervades every aspect of our lives. Many foundational aspects of American civil law are outlined in our instruction manual, in the first five books of the Bible. And oh, the gift-giving thing? That’s found in Matthew 2:11. From this passage we get the three wise men and the nativity scenes we see all over the place during the Christmas season, as well as the treasures presented to the Baby Jesus as gifts. So even unintentionally, the world community is celebrating the reason for the season. The uplifting of humanity that happens as a result is sacred and unescapable!

In this month’s issue, we celebrate our God-given power of community. As I read our feature article, it occurred to me that we gather in community in some form or fashion all the time—whether that’s Christmas dinner with the family, holiday celebrations at the office, church study groups, dinner out with friends, painting parties or wine tastings. In “Circles of Healing: The Healing Power of Community,” Linda Sechrist explains how coming together purposely, either for a specific reason or for no reason other than to be together as a group, has an immense impact on our mental and physical well-being and problem-solving abilities. Sheila Julson illustrates this dynamic with her profile of Celebration Restaurant, the venerable Dallas institution that has survived and thrived for more than 50 years by fostering communal spirit. 

As always, we have filled this month’s issue with insightful, encouraging and we hope inspirational content that will help you along your way to living a healthier life on a healthy planet. We hope you enjoy it. And as a gift to us, please take a moment to let us know how we’re doing. You can participate in our readership survey at NaturalAwakenings.com/pages/reader-survey. 

We hope you and yours have a great holiday season!

Blessings until next month