Originally from Indiana, I grew up with the possibility of snow at Christmas. In Florida, this can be confusing around the holidays. The forecast calls for sunny skies and 75° on Christmas day; however, there are plenty of Christmas trees and festivities everywhere. The malls are packed, and parking is scarce! We love to walk through the many parks that look like winter wonderlands with amazing lights and live music everywhere. The nights in Florida during this time of year get a bit chilly (for Florida), sometimes reaching down into the 40’s. This makes the season seem very similar to northern Christmas’. Of course, we’ll be heading north to Michigan in the spring, where it really does snow, and deep! But for now, we cherish this time of year.

Although we’re building new memories, the memories of past Christmas’ are fresh in my mind. My children are never far from my thoughts. We had so many great holidays together. I go through the pictures every year and it brings tears to my eyes, but I’m so proud of who they are, and thankful I got so many wonderful years with them. I’m also grateful they have a tight-knit family, with my ex-wife and her parents, and that I kept them sheltered, as much as possible, from my mentally abusive and dysfunctional family from Indiana. My children are all grown and healthy, and that is the greatest Christmas present I could ask for. I can picture them using their amazing music skills, around this time of year. For twenty years, I surrounded them with music and art. It was a centerpiece of our existence. We moved a few times during their childhood, but wherever we went, music and art were at the center of our lives. It’s still my center and I can’t imagine life without it.

My life has been defined by music. This time of year it’s especially emotional with all the music everywhere. I love to visit local churches and listen to the amazing choirs sing Christmas songs and sing along with them! The natural reverb in churches makes it sound so rich and beautiful. It’s addicting. The human voice is indeed the only musical instrument that can’t be duplicated. Combine 30 of them, singing in octaves and harmonies, and it gives me chills! There’s current medical evidence that music awakens areas of the brain that gives clarity to people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Truly a modern miracle. One that’s been with us all along.

During this time of year, I can’t help but think there’s hope for humanity. However, somehow, we’ve allowed the magical Christmas spirit to get minimized into a 30-day period each year. I wonder what would happen if we managed to create an entire culture and society around the magic of giving. I’m not talking about the political correctness of the wealthy, who give less than .001% of their wealth to charities for a tax write-off, and call that giving. I’m talking about an entire society built around balance and sustainability. With all of our technology, surely, we can find a happy medium, a balance for everyone.

God knows the current monetary system is not sustainable and is causing an imbalance in our world. The wealthy are getting obscenely wealthy, and the poor are getting poorer, while the middle class is disappearing. I suppose Christmas is a good reminder that we need to evolve past this addiction to power and money. Perhaps hope and love are strong enough to save us from ourselves. For now, the Christmas spirit is still alive, at least around us, in Florida!