HERE we go again, basking in the spirit of Christmas, which, according to the song anyway, is the most wonderful time of the year. Blue-collar working men rattle their decorated shoeboxes, children carol, and the air smells of holiday ham or whatever it is your family has cooking. Capitalism is at an all-time high, with people rushing around with shopping bags, getting trampled in pursuit of that perfect holiday moment. But not everyone gets to chase it. Some are too busy making it happen for others.

The overworked elves and reindeers

     Think of the store workers: Christmas for these people means long hours, fake smiles and tired feet. Throughout the festive season, they’re responsible for keeping the shelves full, wrapping gifts, dealing with frustrated last-minute shoppers, and explaining to your aunt why her favorite handbag is no longer in stock. Then there are the delivery drivers whose job consists of speeding, knocking, and delivering packages to doorsteps, putting Santa’s reindeers to shame, all while their own homes feel a little too quiet.

Holiday healers and merry migrants

     Meanwhile, hospitals don’t pause for Christmas either. Nurses and doctors who possibly haven’t seen their families in days, continue to wield their thermometers, not for Christmas turkey, but for patients. For every patient who needs care, there’s a holiday healer sacrificing their own holiday dinner to make it happen. Similarly, overseas workers navigate the bittersweet joy of sending gifts back home while longing for the embrace of their loved ones.

The gifts we don’t see

     Yet, despite the holiday madness, something else happens. Moments of joy can still manage to slip through the cracks. A tired retail worker can find solace when seeing a family laughing over matching shirts. A nurse sees a patient’s face brighten when they get a small holiday surprise from a visitor. A driver notices a child’s squeal of joy from behind the glass door after waiting patiently for a package’s arrival. These aren’t the big, shiny parts of Christmas that everyone has come to expect. They’re the quiet ones that are often missed and unappreciated but matter just as much.

     So, as you celebrate with friends and family, take a moment to think about these unseen ornaments for it’s their quiet sacrifices that make our Christmas just a little bit brighter. It’s not always obvious, but sometimes the greatest gifts aren’t wrapped in ribbons, they’re the moments we don’t see.