“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?” 
Actually, how can we avoid listening?
During the holiday season there is a barrage of sound– the voices of too many people in a crowded mall, the honking horns of tired, short-tempered shoppers who just want to get home, and the piped music in every store, elevator and restaurant meant to encourage holiday spending that more often contributes to stress and overwhelm than to a true enjoyment of the season.
But, in the midst of all this holiday noise and bustle, it’s important to remember your imperative need for silence—for mind, heart, body and soul.
Ever been around a newborn baby? Any sudden loud noise triggers the infant’s startle reflex. The baby’s arms and legs thrust out as if to push away the offending noise, the eyes go wide to take in the impending danger, and the infant often wails an alert.
Even though, as adults, our arms and legs may not go into contortions, an unending onslaught of noise from our vehicles, appliances, entertainment, and computers, definitely affects our nervous system. Studies have shown that continuous noise assault can cause nausea, headaches, and sleeplessness. No wonder, then, that so many of us get sick at the holiday season.
Are you as tired as I am of hearing holiday music, whether religious, classical, or popular, piped from every available speaker before Thanksgiving is even over? I love music and the moods and memories it can evoke, but I also love—and value—silence. And during the holiday season with its hectic schedules, unending to-do lists, and constant partying, silence is in too short a supply.
Here, in the foothills of the Catskills, nature has entered its season of silence. The songbirds are gone. The buzz of bees in the garden, the chirps of crickets in the field, and the croaking of frogs in the pond behind my house have yielded to the silent fall of snow.
From my studio window where I write, coach and occasionally weave, the silence of the winter landscape is a balm to noise-induced stress, for the outer noise is often echoed by the inner noise of worries about deadlines and budgets, to-do lists, and creative chaos.
To step out into that winter landscape is to step into a space where I can breathe in the crystalline quiet of pristine snow, and breathe out the inner noise and tension of holiday expectations. I breathe in that slow-down, get-still, get-silent air of hibernating bears and feather-fluffed birds and breathe out the worry about getting all the shopping and card writing done on time. I breathe in the stoic letting go of the leafless trees and breathe out the belief that if I don’t get everything done to perfection that both the holiday and I will be failures. With each deep breath, I move from superficial holiday busy-ness into true seasonal celebration.
Silence makes space for soul discoveries and for creativity. I bring that winter stillness and quiet into my studio, lighting a candle or incense, writing in silence, thinking and planning in silence, as smoke curls silently up from the flame.
In the silence, I listen for the quiet voice of my Muse.
If you want to give yourself the healing balm of silence during this holiday season, turn off the television, the cell phones and the MP3 players in your environment. Start your day slowly and quietly, perhaps with that cup of tea or coffee, writing in your journal or going for a quiet walk before turning to the noise and chatter of news and social media. End your day similarly.
Dine by candlelight as it magically induces silence and adds a special element to family meals.
Take time to breathe in silence, breathing out chaos and noise both inner and outer.
Step out into the night, when people and nature become naturally quiet, look up at the moon and stars and drink silence from the night sky. In that silence, listen for that inner creative voice, for your Muse, and connect to the deeper wisdom to discover what you deeply long for.
Silent night, holy night. Ah-h-h, at last.