The holidays aren’t ALL about You, what You want to happen during Christmas or what You want for the holidays.  This was certainly a revelation to my children one year!!!  I guess I set them up, since I was the one that made Christmas such a big deal in the first place.  Counting the presents to make sure everyone got the same number.  Trying to create and make presents that were personalized.  Organizing and cooking at least one huge meal.  Whew!

Are your holidays filled with loneliness?  Do the days just feel like a lot of work?  It gets harder and harder to put up the Christmas tree.  You just don’t want to take the time, make the effort to cook a big meal.  Many of your friends have plans with their own families.  Is the meaning of the holidays lost?  Is the financial stress of gift giving and expectations overwhelming?  Is this because you’re single, your children are out of the house; maybe you’ve been on your own for awhile or unemployed?  Holidays can definitely be one of the most difficult times of the year, traditionally very depressing, stressful and exhausting.

Newsflash!  Christmas, as with every other holiday, except maybe your birthday, isn’t just about You.  What can you do to make this year different? What can you do to wake up on December 26th and think “this has been a great holiday”?
• Treasure those memories of past loved ones, family Christmases you shared.  Unpack special decorations, ornaments your children made in elementary school, frame photos of family and friends together.
•  How can you approach giving gifts differently?  One of the best presents I ever got was from one of my sons – a picture of him doing something he liked, with a letter telling me his memories of the Christmases he shared with his brothers.  Could you do the same thing?  Write a story about you as a child, and then share this with your children or siblings?
• Could you share some food in your home?  It doesn’t have to be a huge turkey dinner.  What about vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, cherries, whipped cream – let everyone make an ice cream mountain?  How about just going on a drive in the country?  Could you take a walk through the neighborhood or park lights one evening?

What can you DO differently this year?  You have to connect with your own spirituality, your own relationships to those around you.  One of the most powerful things you can do to improve your own circumstances is to get out of yourself, get out of your own mind and return to your heart.  What would give real “meaning” to this holiday?

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