Home, Serene Home
Unruffled, calm and at home during the holidays
Folks who love the Gulf Coast have learned to live “in and out of season.” First, each year there is the best known high season, which begins with the influx of arrivals in January and stretches into May. Next comes the most watched hurricane season from June 1 through November 30. Finally, in late November and December, we enter the shortest and most favored holiday season. These two months are treasured by locals and guests for a number of reasons.
For one, the storm- free, cooler weather is wonderful: clear; bright; unclouded— an unruffled repose of sky, sea, or light. Lest you suspect I am trying to wax poetic, the words in italics are lifted from a dictionary definition of the word serene ( L. serenus).
Second, there are fewer people around— so, no crowds, lines or traffic jams ( you can make left turns with ease). It is ( here comes another dictionary definition of serene): undisturbed;
calm; tranquil; quiet.
Third, those of us who are here get to gather in comforting, vibrant and warm holiday celebrations. Our islands are draped, inside and out, with colorful decorations. The doors of homes, offices, banks, stores and even gas stations beckon a joyful welcome to come on in, exchange a bit of cheer and pause to appreciate the gift of life and friendship.
I think of this holiday atmosphere as a literal act of “social xeriscaping” ( from the Greek word xeros, which means dry). To xeriscape means to grow native plants that don’t need extra water, fertilizer or pesticides in order to thrive. In other words, xeriscaping the human environment makes residents feel at
peace, at home, and in their proper setting, a place where we can “bloom where we are planted” ( italics indicate the definition of xeriscape; the Latin word serenus is based on xeros— sounds like serenity to me!). Here’s how it works.
In November we have Thanksgiving Day, our only national religious holiday. Conceived as a feast day set aside to give thanks to the Creator for the chance to be at home in a free, independent nation, it was inspired by the oldest, continuously practiced ritual in history: the Jewish Passover Seder. That ancient story re- creates the movement of Hebrew people from slavery to freedom ( as one of my Jewish friends sums it up: “Pharaoh wanted to kill us; God freed us; let’s eat!”). To eat bread together is to be at peace with companions ( L. com— “with” + panis—“bread”).
December continues the celebrations that bring us together: Advent ( November 30 to December 24), Christmas ( December 25), Hanukkah ( December 16 to 24), Kwanzaa ( December 26 to January 1). These religious observances result in closely held habits of family camaraderie, which spill over in warmly held habits of companionship in a circle of friends— and the community at large benefits in immeasurable ways.
One prime example of the serenity of this season is the Luminary Festival ( December 5 on Sanibel, December 6 on Captiva). We are invited to venture out into the night, guests of an all- embracing hospitality that gently brightens the darkness, guards our path, urges conversation, offers free food and drink, entertains with music, teaches about our environment and merrily bids us to be well and happy— all because of the fact that for this particular time in this special place, the spirit ( geist) of our times ( zeit) is that we are unruffled, calm and at home … “Home, Serene Home!”
Welcome home.
Retired after 41 years of parish ministry, Dr. Randall H. Niehoff and his wife, Marilyn, have been residents of Sanibel for 22 years and are active in civic affairs both on and off the island in Lee County.