Reflections Streams

"The mirror reflects back

what we do not want to see,

in ourselves and others.

Reflections are the truth.

And the truth is

a hard place to exist."

Can we go back to a time

when Christmas and Santa was real.

When you could see beyond

the commercialisation of Christ's birth

to the core meaning

of family and gratitude,

of joy, love and peace?

Can we go back to a time

when Christmas was "presents from Santa"

that were actually from hard-working parents

trying to make their children's dreams come true

or at least show how much they loved their little ones.

Can we go back to a time

when the homelessness,

the war, the famine,

the animal cruelty and steaming pile of shite

this world serves up

because of the of the inhumanity, its disgrace

was dulled out by the tinsel and flashing lights

the sound of cheesy songs and crackers pulled,

bad jokes being told and

feast shovelled down our throats?

We can't.

We can't ever go back.

Always moving forward.

As we get older, it's harder to hide ourselves from

the uneasy truths that Christmas makes light of and covers.

The inconvenience of all the suffering and pain,

caused by injustice, hatred and a lack of love that exists in the world.

We can't go back.

We can only go forward.

How we do that is up to each on of us individually.

I'm not going to tell you how to do Christmas

or you should avoid doing Christmas.

I'm not going to sit quiet, either.

People love to show their generosity by paying forward and secret Santaing.

Maybe it's the little things that make a difference.

I am not sure.

It's better than sitting and just ignoring the bad

because everything is oh so good within your own four walls.

Of course it's good that things are good.

By all means celebrate that.

Celebrate your wins, reflect on your losses.

Remember you are not an island and others matter.

Without sanitising and cleaning up for Christmas

Allowing the snow and ice and decorations

to cover over the unsightly reality

Let it motivate us to strive for better