Dec. 5, the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day, was special in my childhood home. My five siblings and I would be in front of the television set or otherwise engaged in the family room when the door into our kitchen would be thrown open and a shower of candy tossed inside. All six of us would spring into action, running to the kitchen. Some would fall to the floor, scooping up candy, while others rushed to the door, attempting to catch St. Nick as he fled the scene of the candy-ing. We never caught him, but our disappointment was soon forgotten in the blissful enjoyment of the sweets he left behind.
It was a simple, joyful annual tradition that never lost its magic for us kids. Unlike Christmas itself, St. Nick Night was not a holiday that everyone talked about. I don’t think I even knew the date. Every year, therefore, it came as a surprise.
The other day, I found myself thinking about St. Nick Night in light of everything that has happened this year. A friend shared sad news by text, ending with the sentence, “2020 just keeps giving.” In some ways, the shock and surprise of 2020 has been similar to someone throwing open the door and tossing a handful of unexpected items into our lives: coronavirus, deaths, contentious elections, widespread protests, inland hurricanes and other climate disasters. Many of us have rushed to the door trying to figure out who was responsible, and why.
What if, instead, we stopped to focus on what has been tossed our way and look for the gifts in all of it? Gifts such as:
- the way we’re learning to say out loud how much we love and appreciate others;
- the flourishing creativity being shown in celebrating milestones, holidays and important achievements with people we are unable to physically be with;
- the time to look within to discover our own deeply held values and attitudes about others, and about the meaning of concepts such as freedom and justice.
To children, unlooked-for candy is always a gift. The gifts of 2020 are much harder to appreciate. When we take the time to look for gifts from this year, we may initially find they resemble our least favorite kinds of candy—all orange slices and circus peanuts! Still, with reflection, we can find flavors worth noticing and savoring. By shifting our perspective, we can discover opportunities to be surprised not just by the unexpected items tossed into our lives, but by the good revealed when we fully unwrap them.
—Jenifer Hanson, Prairiewoods director