Pathlight: Happy Holidays; Or…?
Originally from the U.S., Annie earned her Canadian Citizenship in 2013. Annie & her Husband live in Pic River First Nation. She works as full-time as an Adult Mental Health and Addictions Therapist at the Marathon office of North of Superior Counseling Programs. Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW has been a cinical social worker since 1979 working in mental health, family therapy, and addictions services. She is a doctoral candidate at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. Annie also works part-time as a consultant for LYNX, owned by her husband Herb Nabigon, MSW. Herb provides traditional Anishnabek teachings and healing workshops for both Native and non-Native organizations. Together he and Annie provide training and education to professionals on a wide range of topics blending mainstream and traditional approaches in healing. They also provide cultural safety and anti-racism training.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS; OR?..
Annie Wenger-Nabigon MSW, RSW, Author of Pathlight on OntarioNewsNorth.com
I’ve noticed that the pace of life seems to have sped up a bit recently…oh, ok, it seems to have sped up a lot! Stores are crowded, parking lots around town seem to have fewer parking spaces (I know it’s just that there are more cars, but they seem to be sharing space with piles of snow, too!) and everything sounds noisier when I walk through the mall. What’s going on?
My neighbors have been putting up lights and Christmas Trees, so I decided to get in on the action and dug around in my boxes of stuff and found a string of colorful lights to put outside. First I looked at the two spruce trees I planted last summer, but some dogs had apparently been playing tag around them, so I decided they might not be the best things to try lighting up. I didn’t like the idea of a big dog running down the road playing with a string of my lights! I found the next best thing – a large piece of driftwood close to the veranda, and it looks quite unique now with lights twining around it. Not very impressive, I admit, but at least there is a little light in my corner of the street.
I hear Christmas music playing in the shops and on the radio, so I dug out my old Christmas CDs and tried them out today. Loved the sound, but they are old and getting scratched, so some of the songs skip or get stuck….guess I’ll have to get some new ones, but I sure liked listening to the music.
One thing seems to be missing, though – happiness. We get a lot of messages this time of year to “Have a happy holiday”, but who really knows about that? It seems to me that people are generally more preoccupied with the fast pace of shopping, feeling pressured to buy, bake and wrap. They don’t seem to have much time left over to simply enjoy some of the fun this Christmas season is supposed to inspire. What’s up with that?
Is it really a happy holiday time? Who knows what the word holiday really means? It is actually two words put together – holy and day. Christmas was first celebrated as a holy day, and everything special about that day was intended to remind people of what was extra holy about that day – the birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago. For the most part, it seems that people forget about the “holy” part of holiday. It’s a word that has now has taken on new meanings which convey the idea of having a fun break from the routines of ordinary life. It’s a word that brings to the imagination visions of a sunny beach on a tropical island, or flying far away to an exotic place for a long vacation. Christmas Holiday has come to mean time off from work, special foods and drinks, gatherings and gift exchanges with family and friends, and, for far too many people, it has come to mean a time of disappointments, hurts and feelings of deprivation.
I worry about the people who find this season to be especially trying and full of pain, rather than a time for fun and relaxation. Who is paying attention to what is going on with them? Is this really a season of happy holidays, or…?
It might be important to take time out from rushing around buying things, planning feasts, and dressing up for parties, and give a moment of calm attention to someone who is maybe not having such a good time with all this holiday cheer. Think about what you might be able to do to simplify things a bit this Christmas season, and maybe find some time to do something for someone else. Turn down the pressure just a bit, breathe, stand still, take a deep breath, consider the possibility that less could be more, and just relax. You might find your neighbours or family members relaxing a little bit more, too, and maybe, just maybe, it really could be happy holidays!
Annie Wenger-Nabigon, MSW, RSW
Pathlight@OntarioNewsNorth.com
ANNIE RECOMMENDS:
- The Hollow Tree by Herb Nabigon
- EldersTeachings.blogspot.com
- Pathlight: Journey to a Good Life archives
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*Health themed columns found on OntarioNewsNorth.com provide general information about medical conditions and treatments. The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such. If you have any specific questions about any mental health or other medical matter, please consult your family physician, primary health care team or other professional healthcare provider.
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