It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year……but not always for everyone
Beautiful and bright Christmas decorations adorn all the stores, Hallmark has non stop “sappy” Christmas movies on 24/7 and there is the faint sound of sleigh bells in the air wherever you go 😉 Yes, my friends~ the holiday season has officially started.
I do LOVE this time of the year. I love decorating the house and making it cozy. I love baking cookies (while a Hallmark movie is playing in the background). I love sewing my traditional festive cloth bags to house my giving gifts using my grandma’s old 1950s Singer machine.
And I love choosing thoughtful gifts for family, friends and a certain person in need.
Everywhere you go there are lights and sounds and pictures telling us it’s the BEST time of the year.Â
Everyone looks so happy in those Hallmark movies; by the time the movie ends any loneliness or misunderstandings have wonderfully vanished.
But we know real life doesn’t get packaged up in a neat little 120min time frame. Life goes on. Pain, loneliness and misunderstandings don’t always end.
This IS a wonderful time of the year. It IS also a difficult time of the year. If you’ve lived long enough and been forced to “adult”, then you’ve experienced all that life can throw at you~love, joy, pain, loss, loneliness….and what a time for us all it has been.
If you find yourself not feeling as joyous and upbeat about Christmas as maybe in the past, please knowthere is NOTHING wrong with you.Â
It can feel like we are forced to be happy throughout this time of the year, but that just isn’t always logical.
And it isn’t helpful.
Anyone who has lost a loved one (particularly someone close) knows that this time of the year only makes you miss them more.
Their lack of physical presence is a stinging reminder of the hole that is left in their absence.
So seeing all the happy people celebrating with loved ones when you’ve lost your family member, or seeing a couple celebrating when you’ve just lost your spouse (by death or separation) makes you feel somehow defective. Broken. Grinchy.
So what do we do??
Well, it is important to honour all of the feelings you experience over the holiday season. And when you are feeling particularly down and disheartened with the world, the best mood booster is giving of yourself.
It could be your time, a gift bought at a store, volunteer hours, making a gift for someone you know they would love, buying a coffee for the person behind you in line, taking a friend out for dinner…picking up the phone to call someone.
It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to figure out doing nice things for people makes you feel good.
But researchers have even found that THINKING about doing something generous has real mood boosting benefits for the brain.
And I like to think doing something nice just for YOU counts as well. Self care is NOT to be taking lightly.
Giving makes us Happy.Â
Giving is good for our health. Giving evokes more gratitude which will not only increase positive thoughts but raise your vibration and attract MORE things to be grateful for!!
It’s definitely not easy at Christmas when you’re missing someone. Trust me, I am with you 100% of the way.
So this is why I want to help you toonot just “get through” this season. Let’s not let this often harsh world beat us down. Let’s instead look for others who are struggling and reach out our hands; letting them know too,“Hey, friend, you aren’t alone.Â
And we will get through this and be a-ok.
Here is a wee Giving Calendar to help you see the true beauty of this season.(and help you out on those low days)
I do encourage you to choose a few of the things here on the calendar~ or make up your own!!
Last year I actually did my own 12 Days Of Christmas Kindness and I plan on doing it again this year.
When you choose to do one or more of these things, be prepared to smile more. Get that warm fuzzy feeling in your chest. May it help dry a few tears so you smile more.
Merry Christmas to You and your family. I wish you so many Blessings today and though the year.
