Enter Christmas season thoughtfully with cheer

Catholic News Live shares an excerpt from Thomas Moore's new book The Soul of Christmas as the "The True Spirit of Christmas". The passage includes:

"Christmas is one of the most soulful days of the year. You don’t need to be Christian or a follower of Jesus, because the roots of Christmas lie in the natural rhythms of the year, and solstice celebrations are universal. Christmas is a solstice festival with a significant overlay of the story and teachings of Jesus. But his teaching is universal and dovetails beautifully with the spirit of solstice. Jesus offers a vision of utopia, a perfected world. He envisioned a time when we would get over our neuroses, our demonic tendencies, and live in peaceful community."

"It would be better to enter the spirit of the liminal rather than fight it. Step outside of ordinary time: be of good cheer, give some real gifts, make some good food, and spend more time than usual with friends and family. The best way to deal with the exhaustion of the holidays is not to withdraw but to enter them thoughtfully."

Order The Soul of Christmas from its publisher Franciscan Media.