Christmas Traditions

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and I am excited about 2017 being the best year yet.  I say that every year and it keeps happening. Life just gets better and better. 

For the first time this Christmas we went to our daughter's in DeSoto. In thinking about it ahead of time it seemed a little sad to break tradition and not have she and John and our five grandchildren here.  I love a full house brimming with laughter and activity.

It turned out wonderfully.  On the 24^th I had the privilege of helping her cook and host a sing for family and neighbors.  We ate and sang Christmas songs from A-Z while my grandson played the piano.  Christmas morning was church then we - as a family - delivered meals - 11 total - to the home bound in the Dallas  inner city.  It was wonderful. And the start of a new tradition. 

Old memories are wonderful and new ones keep adding to the joy of a growing family.  

Overcoming Holiday Stress

We are a nation of stressors and the holidays seem to exacerbate the condition. My definition of stress is “living outside your resources.” Use these thoughts to keep your balance and enjoy the festivities of the season.

Maintain structured routine. Mental and physical involvement in the tasks of the day can keep your mind off worries and provide a feeling of accomplishment. Keep the to-do list within the scope of your energy and resources.

Build your faith. Numerous studies show the connection between religious practices and the positive impact on health. Belief in a Higher Power boosts spirits and gives life purpose and meaning. Find the true meaning of the holiday celebrations – family, thanks, relationship, joy, goodwill and peace.

Do something absurd and out of the ordinary. Laugh. Make yourself smile and give a few forced “ha ha’s”. Works doesn’t it. Keep it going by remembering an amusing incident and relate it to a friend. Read the comics out loud in a dramatic fashion with made-up voices.

Make room for moments of joy and pleasure. Listen to music; sing along and dance. Take a short brisk walk and revel in the beauty of the outdoors. Savor a small bite of a forbidden treat. Look through a picture album and relieve cherished memories. Spend time with a child and really listen to his/her magic wishes.

Get things in perspective. Imagine that everything is gone. You are all alone in the middle of nowhere. You have no family, no home, no job and nothing to celebrate. Do you have the picture? Do you feel sad and empty? Now, all of a sudden, you get everything back. Don’t you feel rich? Don’t you feel loved? Aren’t you glad for the holidays?

Find the magic of pets. Pets have been proven to be stress reducers. They make understanding companions, help combat loneliness, reduce blood pressure and their playful antics bring smiles. So stroke the cat, pat the puppy or watch the fish and allow you stress to melt away.

We are made for community and we have a need to serve. Keep the entertaining simple. Keep spending within your income. Bask in the comity of family and friends. Make time for quiet reflection. Allow the joy of the holidays to embrace you and see the revelry of by-gone days become afresh.

Joy to the World

Most everywhere we look there are signs of Christmas – store displays, busy shoppers, decorated houses, Santa Clause and reindeer. How many of these things actually point to the meaning of Christmas. Do we get so caught up in the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas that we fail to embrace the significance of the season? In all the preparation, do we find joy?

The call of Christmas, no matter how secular it may become, recognize the spiritual part of us; that nebulous element within that make the material part of life meaningful – or not.

Christmas is real, even from another dimension. The Christmas story points to amazing happenings in mysterious ways; something we search for in knowing and unknowing ways. Shepherds going about their regular job of guarding their sheep were frightened by a mysterious light and angels announcing the strangest news. (Luke 2:8-18)

The angels proclaimed that the Divine had entered into the earthly realm incarnated in a baby. They declared this seemingly isolated event brought great joy to the whole entire world.

Maybe we really are all connected.

The shepherds and the Magi (and us) were instructed to find the Christ child. They were not coached how to receive this tiny King; they responded as like calls to like.

The simple meaning of Christmas is reviewed and rehearsed yearly no matter how far afield the error of the age or mankind’s current understanding. Christmas embodies the soul’s longing for home and family; a place to belong no matter how far the travel or how estranged the relationship.

Christmas draws us to experience joy through the spiritual; to find God through the Christ child. We assign meaning to events and the meaning that we assign transforms our lives. Could it be that this world’s happiness/unhappiness is in harmony/disharmony with each individual’s joy?

Joy finds a life-lesson in everything whether painful or pleasant. Joy is more in the journey than in the destination. Joy is the deep down feeling of living well. Joy rises from the simple pleasures of life – having a clear conscious, living within your means, being productive, giving out and helping others.

Perhaps the exact birthday of Jesus was not recorded for posterity because the heavenly intent is for us mortals to embrace the joyous spirit of Christmas and take it into each and every day of our lives and pass it on to others.

Share your insights. mona@solutionprinciples.com