How are you, dear Mum, dear Dad? You've already made it through more than half of Advent. Congratulations! The busiest week is probably still ahead of you: the last Christmas performances and concerts, candle making, baking, photo calendars, organising presents, buying and decorating the tree, planning Christmas dinner and much more. There's so much to do!
Do you resolve every December to do things differently this time? To be calmer and more relaxed, only to find yourself rushing around again and not having a single second to yourself? Then you can sit back and rest assured: you are not alone. Most parents feel the same way.
You are a miracle! Your child is a miracle! Isn't that amazing?
Welcome to the parents' deep-sea submarine
Could it be done differently? Yes, it could. But it's too late for that now, with Christmas just a week away. We'll look at that another time. This is an SOS springboard for you. I would like to invite you to dive in with me. Into this text, deeper and deeper, like a long, comforting sigh or like a white pebble slowly sinking to the bottom of a lake.
Wherever you are right now: let your gaze wander for a moment. Let it soften and simply stare into space. Your jaw is relaxed, as are your forehead and shoulders.
Take a deep breath and exhale with a big sigh. Do this three more times. Very good. Welcome aboard our parents' deep-sea submarine, where you don't have to do anything for the next five minutes and can simply marvel with me.
Light in the darkest season
Because that's what Christmas is all about: wonder. In a religious context, it's wonder at the birth of Jesus. This great miracle, that God became human and that this divine spark finds expression in every human being: you are a miracle! Your child is a miracle! Isn't that something to marvel at?
In an astronomical context, it is the time of the winter solstice. In the darkest season of the year, on 21 December, the pendulum swings back towards more light and longer days. We eagerly await the spring sunshine. That is why we celebrate Christmas as a festival of light. We bring light into the darkest days.
Never forget: you are the chief executive of around 36 trillion employees. That's how many cells we have. Isn't that brilliant?
And aren't those wonderfully cosy moments when we make ourselves comfortable by candlelight? The light of a flame, whether from a candle or an open fire, has a magical effect on children and adults alike.
How about a torchlight walk on Christmas Eve? Or roasting bread on a stick over an open fire?
A little journey through the body
Do you remember how Christmas felt when you were a child? The tingling sensation all over your skin, your rosy cheeks, your wide eyes? What do you still enjoy about Christmas traditions today, and what else amazes you?
What never ceases to amaze me is our ingenious body, which works for us every second, every minute, every hour, day and night. If you are currently experiencing a career crisis, never forget that as a man, you are the CEO of around 36 trillion employees, and as a woman, around 28 trillion. That is how many cells we have. Isn't that amazing?
What happens in our organs alone is truly amazing! Our heart, for example, beats around 100,000 times a day and pumps 7,000 litres of blood. Our lungs exchange approximately 12,000 litres of air every day. A healthy liver can regenerate itself with only a third of its volume and filters one and a half litres of blood every minute.
And did you know that 90 per cent of serotonin, our happiness hormone, is produced in our gut? The gut, this ingenious organ, is our second brain with its own nervous system and is largely responsible for our mental health. It is our mood manager. We have known this since Julia Enders" bestseller Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ.
We could marvel at our skin, stomach, spleen, kidneys and other organs. Often, we only do so when problems arise. Do it now and as often as you can in between! Constantly reawakening my awareness of our phenomenal bodies fills me with wonder and gratitude all year round.
Perhaps a few brilliant ideas are tumbling through your mind right now, and you are amazed at yourself, your courage and what might be possible.
When Christmas hurts
Perhaps Christmas was rather difficult during your childhood and your feelings about it are not so rosy or are rather mixed. Because no matter what your family situation is, excessive expectations and simmering conflicts can quickly turn the celebration of love into a celebration of war. You would not be alone in this either.
How well can you recognise and communicate mixed feelings ? Where could you take the pressure off? How could you lower your expectations? Would it be helpful to organise the celebration completely differently this year?
Perhaps a few brilliant ideas are tumbling through your mind right now, and you suddenly find yourself marvelling at yourself, your courage and all the possibilities. Who knows, who knows. Be your own Christmas miracle! How does that feel for you?
What always helps me is: less is more. That means pushing as many appointments as possible into January and not unnecessarily cramming December full. We know that it practically fills itself up on its own.
An unusual Christmas story
Finally, I would like to share with you a Christmas story that probably originates from Ukraine. How do you feel about spiders? Do you like these creatures or do they disgust you? How does your child feel about them? After reading this story, I hope you will have a completely different view of our eight-legged friends and will tell your grandchildren how the tinsel got onto the Christmas tree.
I wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas from the bottom of my heart!
The Christmas Spider
They lovingly cared for the little plant and made plans for how they would decorate it for the big celebration. But as Christmas approached, their mother said, «Dear children, we are too poor and cannot afford decorations for the Christmas tree.» On Christmas Eve, they went to bed sad. The tiny branches of the tree remained bare and empty.
But during the night, the spiders in the house set to work. They had heard the children's sobbing and wailing and wanted to comfort them. They spun longer threads than ever before and wove intricate webs with beautiful patterns around the tree.
Early on Christmas morning, the children woke up and discovered the decorated tree. «Mother, mother, wake up and look at the tree. How beautiful it is!» The widow did not know what had happened to her, and she got up to admire the tree with the children. The little tree was covered with the most beautiful spider webs.
Slowly, the first rays of sunlight found their way across the ground in front of her hut. Silently, their glow touched the threads of the webs, turning them one by one into silver and gold. The tree sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before.
From that day on, according to legend, the family never wanted for anything again. And we still decorate our trees with tinsel.
