White Christmas

A few days ago, on the Winter Solstice, a dump of snow covered the Earth in white billows. Huge flakes drifted down from heaven like confetti in a breeze.

We are having a white Christmas—the first in over ten years here in Vancouver (on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada). And I love it.

I love how the snow wraps everything in a blanket of soft acceptance. How it creates a dazzling face on a dark Earth. How it refuses to distinguish between artificial and natural. It covers everything—decorated house, shabby old car, willowy trees, manicured lawn—beneath its white mantle. I love how it quiets the Earth. Have you ever gone for a walk in the fresh snow? Boots crunching… snow glistening in the moonlight…

Snow is magic. It reveals as it cloaks. Animals leave their telltale tracks behind their silent sleuthings.

Snow is playful. It beckons you to stick out your tongue and taste the clouds. Snow is like an unruly child. Snow is the trickster. It stirs things up. Makes a mess. It is the herald of change, invigorating, fresh and wondrous. Cars skid in it and squeal in objection. Grumpy drivers honk their horns, impatient to get home; while others sigh in their angry wake. Boys (of all ages) venture outside, mischief glinting in their eyes, and throw snowballs. Others, fearful of the chaos and confusion that snow brings, hide indoors out of the cold.

Snow is Christmas. It brings out the best and the worst in people. This is a Holy season—whether you are a Christian celebrating the birth of Jesus or of another faith or belief embracing this holy time of Joy in Giving and Receiving. It provides each of us with the opportunity to be exactly who we are and who we are meant to be. It is a time to be genuine. A time to be sincere. A time to be REAL. A time to make the best of our lot and be thankful for our gifts: whether we are celebrating a turkey feast with a family we don’t get along with, alone in a new town, working the night shift in a factory, oppressed by the state, or ill in the hospital. It is a time to be thankful for the gifts we have been blessed with, even the hardships. Especially the hardships. For they are ours to carry. Ours to make into something wonderful.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas. In keeping with the spirit of Jesus Christ, "Merry Christmas" has come to embody many things of a holy nature and really includes many celebrations around the world. I wish you joy in these. Happy Winter Solstice. Happy Hanukah. Happy Bodhi Day. Happy Day of the Wandering Goddess. Happy Soyal. Happy Saturnalia. Happy Yule. Happy Zartusht-no-diso. I also respectfully acknowledge the following: 1000 Lamp Mandala Ceremony; Human Rights Day; Krismas; Kwanza; National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women; Omisoka; Shabe-Yalda (if I've left any out, please excuse my ignorance--it was not intentionally omitted).

This one's for you, Dar, you trickster. I love you to pieces. Don't ever change. Merry Christmas!

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.