Are Quiet Spaces Possible During the Holidays?

On almost every spiritually-oriented site I've browsed or book I've read, an author advises readers to create time for quiet reflection, stillness and rest during the midwinter holiday season. Usually he or she will point out that before the advent of electricity and 24-hour availability of light, people slowed down during winter and that our natural rhythms make us prefer a relaxed pace during the short days of December. Animals hibernate; we like to nest.

This is probably great advice if you can make it work for you. Unfortunately, many of us work in occupations that shift into high gear after Thanksgiving and don't let up after Christmas. Although my former work in special education had its down side, it allowed a breather during the 1-2 weeks of winter break. Most jobs don't have built-in breaks. Some, like those in retail, may involve working up until midnight on Christmas Eve and coming back at the crack of dawn the day after Christmas for the returns/exchanges stampede.

Add mandatory extra hours, gifting, social obligations, unspoken expectations and possibly extra activities for people belonging to religious organizations, and it's easy to see why many of us regard the idea of "heavenly peace" as a joke. A friend who works for a major home improvement chain told me recently that she dreads the six weeks surrounding Christmas. What a strange situation we've created, considering that all the winter holidays observed by major religions are supposed to be about peace, community and gratitude.

Is it possible to carve out little islands of silence and solitude in the midst of all this?

As I've worked this out in my own life, the idea which has been most helpful comes, ironically, from the year I lived in Tokyo - a city not known for quiet in a culture that doesn't traditionally observe Christmas. Whenever I rode the city trains I noticed that most of the Japanese passengers didn't interact with the people around them. It was almost as if each rider was alone inside an invisible space bubble that kept the rest of the world outside. This was true even during rush hour when there was literally less than an inch of space between standing passengers.

After a few months it occurred to me that since Tokyo is so densely populated and the trains always so packed, the only way for many residents to establish personal space was retreat inside themselves. This might not be possible at home when forced to interact with family, but on the train among strangers it was relatively easy. Since life in Tokyo was so noisy and hectic, and since my fellow travelers usually didn't want to talk anyway, I started practicing this skill myself. It was surprisingly easy to develop.

It's been 25 years and I still sometimes do this when I'm in the midst of a nonstop day. Of course there are appropriate times and places (a floor hour spent helping customers is not one of them) but when it's OK, just closing my eyes for 5 minutes and tuning everything out establishes a personal quiet zone.

Try it sometime when you're in the staff break room. You can also snatch quiet or meditative moments while taking a walk (if you have a medium-large dog and a safe neighborhood, go out after dark), waiting for a bus or driving home from work. During the workday, a bench in a public park might work.

Five or ten minutes here & there may not seem like much, but you might be surprised at how calming these small retreats can be.