Cue Perry and Bing because the holidays are rapidly approaching.
It seems we just turned the corner on Thanksgiving and now Christmas is staring us directly in the snow-blown face. It is not uncommon to be overwhelmed this time of year. Familial obligations creep out of the woodwork and funny-looking Christmas cards from once-removed fourth cousins begin flooding our mailboxes. I won’t even mention the fruitcake. There are things to purchase and people to visit and caloric calamities to ingest... everything swirling around in a vortex of holiday busyness that can be stressful and tense.
But (there always seems to be ‘but’)… what if your holiday season was hardly overwhelming at all? What if you could erase the chaos from your schedule and spend the holidays alone? At some point a few of us migght have whispered to ourselves about the benefits of being on a deserted island as soon as tghe claendar flips over to December. Christmas can be such a bother.
Many people complain about being overextended during this time of year. However, the fact that this occurs is a good indicator that there are people in our lives to add to the holiday shuffle we routinely perform. Chances are, a lot of these people care about us and (in spite of the insanity) are positive contributors even during our sense of being overwhelming. The majority of our Samaritan House residents are not overwhelmed. They live out the theoretical quiet Christmas so many others long for. Of course, there is always a catch when the hypothetical chokes on reality.
Homelessness has many attachments that can physically hinder a person from enjoying most of the amenities non-homeless people have. Reliable shelter, steady employment, regular access to food, and education are things many of us do not think about on a regular basis. Some of these options are not available to the homeless, hence their daily lives can be underwhelming in comparison to people who are not homeless.
The joys of an underwhelming holiday season for the homeless: not having to mix and mingle at endless office parties and family get-togethers. No sense of Christmas claustrophobia caused by shopping for others at any one of a thousand stores of their choosing. Avoiding the hassle of cutting down a tree to wrestle with in the living room. How great to not have to listen to endless holiday hits on XM radio. The solitude of having no one drop by to pay you a visit unexpectedly.
This is what we dream of, right?
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