It’s November: the pumpkins have come off the porches, candy has been devoured, and Christmas is around the corner. A few of us hold out to protect Thanksgiving, but the first of November (if not sooner) lights and decorations begin to adorn homes, businesses, and community spaces.
Good tidings of comfort and joy … right? Whether you are celebrating the Christian significance of the season or participating solely in the secular aspects, such as trees, lights, and gifts, one would think there would be some shared beliefs: kindness and giving; comfort and joy.
Kindness shown to others in and outside of our families. Giving to those we love, those in need, and those we want to show gratitude and appreciation. Comfort within our homes, showing hospitality to others, and providing comforts that some may not be able to provide on their own. And then there’s joy: a strong feeling of happiness, pleasure, or delight (Merriam-Webster).
This week, I spoke to an outdoor lighting company regarding a business need and discovered that this season is not always joyful for them. Apparently, the F-bomb is a frequent word choice used by customers demanding that their lights be hung immediately. OK – let’s give some mercy to those making the demands using expletives. Maybe they are experiencing great holiday stress in their lives, but is the lighting company the appropriate place to release upon?
If lights are so significant that they send someone over the edge, maybe it’s time to do a reset. What’s more important: lights or treating someone kindly? What happens if the lights aren’t hung? Can peace and joy still exist?
Let’s think about this as a parent. An experiment done in the 1960s by Albert Bandura demonstrated that kids learn aggression by observing behaviors. Kids also repeat what they hear their parents say. Think of the country song by Rodney Atkins, “I’ve Been Watching You,” about a guy whose 4-year-old son blurted out a four-letter word starting with the letter “s”. The dad wants to know where the child learned to talk like that. That buckaroo learned it from his dad.
Please know that I am not pointing fingers. I, myself, have lost my cool over matters that are trivial. I’ve let an expletive or two fly. But if we stop and think about the person on the receiving end, as well as the children who will imitate our behaviors, we might treat others differently. After all, they are deserving of kindness, comfort, and joy because it’s their season too!
Let’s take a deep breath and lighten up! And if you get lights hung without releasing the F-bomb and creating a wake of destruction in your path, all the better! Here’s to good tidings of comfort and joy, not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year.
