By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editorial

Time is flying by. Every year, I sit to write my Christmas editorial, and I’m instantly transported back to last year...three years ago...five years ago. The process of forming my current state of being into a tidy editorial, taking into consideration a life’s worth of holiday seasons, is a humbling experience. It brings back so many different times, places, people and mental states, all waiting under the Christmas tree of my subconscious with a tidy bow, ready to be unwrapped.

Some of the people surrounding me a few years ago are no longer here, and my holiday traditions have changed so extremely that barely a semblance of my past remains. I’m immersed in a new era, and for the first time, I’m not just immersed in it — I’m also its creator and cultivator. I’m the one responsible for making those memories that I look back upon and cling to, and I’m no longer just along for the ride.

It is hard, admittedly, during this time of year to separate yourself from past traditions. They’re so dear, and have been such influential and formative experiences that to leave them behind feels like a betrayal, even when the other options can prove destructive. A lot of time has been spent mourning bygone experiences, and I’ve focused a lot of energy on the things that are no longer here instead of the things that are. It took some doing to realize that moving forward is not letting go, but instead paying respect to the places I’ve been, and to those that have remained or become part of my life. To carry those times with us is what we were always meant to do.

What is life without change?

We can adore a book, and the first volume of a series can remain our favorite, but we want something new from the follow up. If my life were a series of novels, I’m lucky to say I’m enjoying the second series, and I like what it’s building toward. I’m interested in the plot, and I have ideas about where it’s going, and I hope for some surprises along the way. And even though I’ve just begun a new chapter, and I’m not even nearly finished with this book, I hope the follow up will be the best yet. I hope it considers all that came before, steadily evolving while holding onto those essential elements that made the series so intriguing to begin with.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without our pasts, but my Christmas wish for those who cling tightly and remain in place is to find some peace in this moment. The things happening now will hopefully someday sit side by side with those cherished events, working in tandem to propel us even further forward, the foundation — and some of the most integral pieces — of the sturdiest shelter.