Ana Lee Kennedy: If We Were All A Little Kinder

Sadly, I’ve never been a fan of Christmas. I’m not a Scrooge, but it seems that this time of year is a huge struggle for the family. My husband is often laid off this time of year, making a nice Christmas impossible, and with the expense for a PS4 or Xbox game, let alone other high-tech gifts, and add a huge family to it…yeah, Christmas is always a bit rough. My youngest son likes video games, but thank God he loves books, too.

I heard on a local radio station this morning that a study revealed that 75% of adults would prefer to skip Christmas altogether. Heh, thought I was the only one who felt that way. However, I have always enjoyed Christmas Eve for some reason. It’s probably the anticipation, the atmosphere, but there’s something about the Eve of the holiday that I can’t put my finger on that just exudes…magic?

Even this Christmas Eve as I type, with the hubby preparing to go to work, and the youngest sacked out after a night and morning playing with his two nieces and his nephew, as I’ve been working on another revision of my novel, there’s still that tangible feeling, that sense of expectation today.

My favorite holiday, though, is New Year’s Eve. It’s not the drinking (which I can’t do), not the partying (which we don’t do) that appeals to me. It’s the promise of a fresh start, the hope that the New Year will be different—better. It’s the opportunity to be a better person, write a better novel, change hard times for good ones.

Instead of making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, drink less, stop smoking, or spending less money—all wonderful goals!—why don’t we all make the resolution to be kinder to people? If we could all be a li’l kinder to one another, regardless of race, religion, class, etc, this world would be a better place.

Merry Christmas!