Tis the season to be...quirky?

The holiday season is upon us. For some, it is like a cozy, warm hug from the arms of traditions past, and for others, it is the weighty burden of embraces unfulfilled. To some it cannot arrive soon enough, for others it can't leave fast enough. Such are the joys and ails of our modern culture. How can something filled with such innocence bring joy to some and misery to others?

For me, there is a defining moment each holiday season. It is the Light Bulb Ritual. After finding the box marked lights' and plugging them in, I wait for the tangible sign that will clarify my past, present and future. We all need such rituals.

Regardless of how much data the human mind acquires, the yearning for reassuring rituals never diminish. We humans are pretty smart animals, but not smart enough to overcome the need to feed our soul. We can write thoughts on our computers that define us to others, even to ourselves. However, it is only a small part of what nourishes the animal within.

Each one of us has a weakness for treats during the holidays, but to indulge on only one favorite morsel cannot satisfy us for long. We need those other things...things like rituals.

I have strong memories of the past and present, and hopes for the future that the holidays lay upon me. They are good, cozy memories because I work hard to make sure they are so. Strangers try to diminish my comfort with intellections and guilt, but they cannot. These are my hard earned rituals, too deep to be eroded by other's fears.

Memories of a grandmother's treasure chest of tin-foiled bake goods lasting way beyond the season. There is the music...each song and each artist is a link to so many other memories that blossoms only during this season and then wilt away until the next. Most memories emit pangs within, sometimes even a tear, but they are all good, healthy exercises-it means this old soul is still working.

Perhaps, we humans underestimate the need for cycles in our life. The rituals of the Holiday season are a time we all need to reflect on the past, savor the present, and make plans for next year's reflections. If we want to stand proud on the Big Hill for the next annual reflection and gaze upon our achievements, we need to be inspired first...like right now!

Once a year we need to reconcile our past, present and future. The old Light Bulb Ritual is as good as any to start the process. When those strings of lights are plugged in, there is anticipation, which ones will light from last year, and which will not.

It is symbolic of a cleansing ritual for the mind as well. Some bulbs of the past, now burnt out, are like things we should discard, thankful for their light that illuminated our memories, but now are no longer needed. New bulbs take their places among the others, and we enjoy their youthful glow. Sometimes when you screw in a new bulb it pops or flickers and fades immediately, never to be part of the plan. Then there are those bulbs that will continue for another year... last year perhaps they were the rookies. Finally, there are bulbs that just hang on. We have one blue one that has much of its paint scratched off, yet it still stubbornly burns bright-hanging on for another season; is that worn bulb a reminder of thoughts left unfinished?

As hard and cold as it sounds, sometimes we all need to know when it's time to throw things away that no longer work and we need to move on. Except for those things that are really special, we might find that they can work in new and different ways.

I grew up with a special Christmas tree bulb. It was about a six inch, Santa Claus bulb painted red and white, with accents of all colors; especially the toys in the sack that hung over his shoulder. For many years we held our breath before it lit up during the Light Bulb Ritual. Then, one year nothing happened. Funny, I was then a teenager and it's as if the Santa bulb had fulfilled its task to carry my older brothers and me through our youth. But I never threw that bulb away.

My wife and I turned it into a hanging ornament and it has complemented our Christmas tree through the raising of two boys who are now grown. They both know the story of the Santa bulb. Even that single bulb is part of our past, present and future.

So, don't resist the temptation of the season and give yourself a cozy hug from the traditions that this time of year brings. Indulge in your own quirky rituals. It will help you build up steam to see you through the cold, dark months ahead. Don't let others diminish the magic it may bring just because it is their ritual to...diminish the magic!

And when the warm, spring sun shines again, we all will be ready to seize the day in search of new, cleansing rituals that continue to warm the soul.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a most happy Holiday Season!