December 22, 2024
Almost every year we see news stories about how horrible Christmas travel is, and how it is often due to snowstorms causing delays.
There are different theories about when Jesus was born; some say March or sometime in the Spring, others say October—both times when shepherds would be watching sheep in the fields. December seems to be pretty much a non-starter.
But Christ’s birth is celebrated near the winter solstice, to coincide with an ancient festival marking when the dark days are leaving and the light is coming back to the world. The lights and the preparations for Christmas make the dark days of December a little cheerier; but celebrating in December can make travel miserable. (We’re talking Northern Hemisphere, here.) And yet, people keep planning their winter trips, blindly hoping that the bad luck will pass them by. And then they get stressed and crabby, because (who knew!), they’re spending way more time in the airport than they had planned to, or are stuck on roads for hours in the snow and/or ice.
Maybe we should find a way to lighten the gloom of winter while staying home (String
those lights! Bake those cookies!); and celebrate Christ’s birth in a season
when travel won’t be so iffy. His parents did.
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