Christmas Wreath of Life

By Trish Briggs

For our family, Christmas time is about celebrating and honoring our family, friends, and community that have been part of our lives throughout the year. The faces shift and change each year, even the regulars like immediate family members and dearest friends shift and change as they process new experiences during the year. This is as it should be because each one of us is shifting and changing throughout each year. When we check in with each other at Christmas time I expect to see those changes reflected in our hearts and eyes. None of us are the same as we were a year ago, last Christmas.

At Christmas time, we take a pause in the grind of our daily lives to embrace each other and catch up on what life has dealt each one of us through the year. It is like we jump off the wheel of life that constantly circles through the seasons and come together for just a moment in time.

It is while we are circling around to Christmas throughout the year, that in tandem, we are creating the evergreen branches of our big, beautiful Christmas wreath, and when we exit for a moment is when together we tie the red bow on our wreath, as we celebrate what has been and where it has brought us.

Depending upon the events of the year, Christmastime can be a time of renewal (birth) or time of healing releasement (death). Every year the wreath is slightly different but just as beautiful because we created it together. It is no mistake that our Christmas wreath is made from evergreen branches. Symbolically, the evergreen tree represents life, growth, power, resilience, hope, and the eternal life of our soul. The evergreen tree is beautiful throughout the year and gives us the gift of color, when our surroundings may be bleak and cold. The message in the evergreen is that no matter what is happening all around us, we have the inner strength to press on and to ever radiate beauty.

When the individual evergreen branches are twisted together to form a wreath, not only are we acknowledging togetherness as a community, but also how each person’s individual journey and energy impacts another, as well as the crossovers that occur between individuals. We truly are on this journey of life together, even if at times we feel very alone. I know one of the hardest lessons for me was opening my heart, opening my connection to the divine and to others, and allowing myself to ask someone, both spiritually and/or physically for love and support when I need it most. It is okay to lean into each other and gain a little additional strength to see us through. We can be present for each other and share in the joyful moments, as well as the challenging moments.

Let’s celebrate the beauty and the richness each individual evergreen branch brings to our lives, within our Christmas Wreath as we tie the bright ribbon together this year into a beautiful bow, with love and support for each other’s journey through life!