Can you hear it?
The excited chatter, little squeals of joy and your favorite Christmas carols….
Can you smell it? Pine, cinnamon, ginger bread, and cookies baking in the oven…
Can you feel it?
It sounds so nice doesn’t it? But let’s be real. The holidays aren’t all sugar, spice and everything nice. Far from it.
What starts out as excitement and joy, as the holiday spirit starts to fill the air, slowly fades, mixing until it’s almost entirely replaced with stress and obligations, and all the “stuff” that supposedly makes that magic happen. We all joke about how crazy the holidays can be. It has become part of our culture. It’s what we do. We all do it together, the Black Friday shopping, Cyber Monday, holiday parties, the family meals, school plays, church programs, going here, there and everywhere. We joke about how much there is to do and we form a camaraderie over getting it all done…whatever it takes.
Throw into the mix that for many of us, the holidays are also a bittersweet reminder of who isn’t here to celebrate. The broken relationships, the changed family dynamics, the loved ones lost. Absences seem to be most felt, this time of year. So on top of all the commotion, there tends to be a lot of emotions running just below the surface.
It can be a crazy time of year. Anticipation of moments spent with friends and family creating cherished memories can easily turn into exhaustion and disappointment. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Last year I ran a little program to remind us that we can be more intentional about how we spend both our money and our time…especially during this time of year. We can find ways to give that are more meaningful. And by saying yes to what really matters and no to what doesn’t, we can recapture the joy, peace, and togetherness we long for.
This year I’m doing it again, and I’m inviting you to join. When you sign up to participate, you’ll receive occasional emails with reminders, tips, and even a challenge or two to help make your holiday season more meaningful. You’ll also be invited to join a Facebook group where we can all interact and share a little more. (It’s always easier when you have the support of a community.)
So if you want to make your holidays more meaningful, join us!