SPIRITUALITY & WELLNESS

Lloyd Den Boer

In my case, one such memory comes from a Christmas season when I was a young teen. Walking along the main street of the small city where my family did its shopping, I noticed how the city’ s holiday decorations were glowing ever brighter as the sun set and the wintery light dimmed. Because the malls built at the city’ s outskirts were yet to come, our main street was still a nerve centre for the town and its surrounding countryside. Its sidewalks bustled with shoppers, making me dodge left and right as I marched along. And march I did because I was a young teen on a mission— I had gifts to buy with money that I had earned myself. As I popped in and out of stores trying to make decisions, the early evening darkened into night. Then, stepping out of a store near one end of our main street and taking a moment to survey its entire length, I was struck by the effect of the parade of evergreen garlands mounted on every lamp post and the procession of garland arches draped across the street. Together they created the illusion of a majestic avenue topped by a twinkling evergreen canopy. As coloured lights

sparkled, flecks of snow fell softly, and loudspeakers played Christmas carols from every intersection, I remember feeling that the world was a glorious place and thinking that growing up to play a part in it was grand.

Many years have passed since that night. By now, I wonder which parts of this memory are my own experiences and which are elements of nostalgic Christmas movies that I have unconsciously slipped into my story. I then wonder whether the garlanded avenue that captured my fancy would still impress me today or whether its decorations would look sparse and its music would sound tinny. Moreover, I question whether the much younger me should not have noticed the crass commercialization of the holiday rather than having my spirits lifted by its magic. Considering that much-younger me with his easily elevated spirits— I marvel at the naïve youth he was, so unaware of not only the sorrows, but also the much deeper joys that were still to come. And yet— and yet, the one thing I cannot disavow is that joy surprised me that night, joy strong enough to make a memory that has lasted decades.

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