The Reason We Celebrate
I like to call this time of year the “Winter Holiday Season” because there are so many holidays, both religious and secular, this time of year. As I wind down before my holiday break, I have been pondering why humans celebrate anything and everything. What is the need to point out that something special happened, or is happening, or will happen? From births to weddings to seasonal activities to new jobs, we celebrate. And sometimes when things go wrong, we gather to commiserate.
But what happens when we celebrate? We gather together. We share time and energy. We have fun. Sometimes dramas happen, especially when families get together. Who doesn’t have a story about the time someone threw a drink at someone? Those types of memories become shared experiences within the group and something to talk about besides the weather.
Celebration is community and relationships and shared experiences. Sound familiar? It should because that is why people join associations and become involved in communities related to other types of nonprofits like foundations and charities. Think of any annual meeting or other conference you’ve attended – it is a gathering where we celebrate our profession, our industry, or our cause. We gather and build relationships. We gather and share experiences. We build memories.
Another thing we don’t always like to think about when it comes to seasonal celebrations is many of these are rooted in the collective consciousness, reminding us to celebrate that we survived. We had enough food and water; we didn’t get eaten by a predator animal; we weren’t slaughtered in tribal warfare. Yay! Let’s celebrate. Now that we are living much more comfortable lives here in the 21st Century, we still realize we need to celebrate the “win” of being here and having our community. Artificial intelligence didn’t wipe us out (yet). Yay! Let’s celebrate!
Celebration reminds us of the good that we do, the good in the world around us, and the joy that we can find in our relationships. Let’s remember to celebrate the good, even when the bad and the ugly seems to be winning.
Happy holidays to you and yours! May your celebrations be memorable.
