Advent: Day 5

Word Play: How do you say, “Merry?”

“Merry Christmas!” “Merry Merry!” Meeerrrrrry Christmas!”

We say it so often this month that we find ourselves saying it differently, whether just for variety or for emphasis.

But, what does “merry” mean, anyway? Or, more precisely, what does it mean to each of us. For, as much as we might be pressured by things and people around us to all be celebratory and merry in the same way, the truth is that even this most festive of feelings is very individual.

For some, “merry” is synonymous with parties, eating and drinking – “making merry.” For others, “merry” is a mild smile, a glint in the eye, and a desire to spread humor and joy (think of the person who wears a Santa hat to the office on the day before his or her vacation). For still others, it might be difficult to express merriment fully because of other things they are experiencing – loss, pain, illness, personal struggles that seem to weigh down and take the fun out of the season.

Mindful that we each have a unique and different sense of what “merry” is inside, when I tell someone “Merry Christmas,” I’m thinking “Good Christmas.” That is, I hope that in the joy of God made man, the birth of the Christ Child, all will feel a stirring of merriment that comes from receiving a precious, wondrous gift.

Blessings for the day,

Maureen