Well we got our first big snowstorm of the year. And I love it. It makes you want to put a fire in the fireplace (like I have in mine), and put on some Bing Crosby Christmas album. Working from home becomes especially enjoyable on days like this.

However, one thought I’ve had on my mind in the last couple days is I’ve been wondering why it’s been so hard to get myself into the Christmas spirit the past few years. I love Christmas, I love the snow, I love my family, I love the Advent series at church, and I of course find meaning in the celebration of Christ’s birth.

But this time of year also seems like a very romantic time of year, and due to my impressive lack of romance for the past several years, I think that’s made it especially hard to get into the spirit. When you boil down all the gifts, the parties, the music, the concerts, and even Christ’s birth, it’s all about companionship. So I guess when you don’t have a special person to spend the season with and do all the fun things that come with this time of year, it can feel exceptionally lonely, even when with family. At least for me that’s unfortunately how it works.

I’ll still do my usual things to enjoy the season: watching lots of football, watching A Christmas Story over and over, listening to Bing, spending time with my folks, and eating a lot. Hopefully it’ll be something I want to do, and not just habit, and as I pray every year around this time, I hope I can feel the Christmas spirit (not the crappy shopping consumerist spirit, but the real stuff) despite my sometimes suffocating loneliness.