holidays
Posts that cover various events around the holidays. Holidays can be major holidays such as Fourth of July, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, or it could cover specific named days throughout the year.
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Day 13. Grateful for Your Family in All Their Beautiful Imperfection
Nothing can compare to the relationships we share with family. For some, family life means happy chaos, warmth and affection, and the freedom to be yourself. For others, family life presents some serious challenges to overcome. Most people’s families fall somewhere in the middle – love and support at some times, friction and misunderstanding at others. Having a family of imperfect people is perfectly normal and healthy! Families Are Complex The thing about families is this. There are always positive takeaways, even in the most complex relationships. In your family, are things always what they seem to be? Sometimes not. For example, in a family where the children were lavished…
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Day 12. Appreciating the Wisdom of Our Elders
What do you think of “old people” – seniors? Are you a senior yourself? How are you managing to keep pace with the information age? Do you find that young people tend to want to hurry you along from one activity to the next? Is it difficult for you to find a willing audience to listen to your tales and heed your good advice? In some cultures, elders are held in the highest regard. Younger individuals respect and revere their grandparents and great grandparents for the wisdom they have gained through life experiences. Families are expected to house and financially support their aging parents, providing comfort, care and dignity in…
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Boundaries- The Key to a Joyful Season
There you are, minding your holiday business when someone’s dysfunction crashes into your spirit. There’s a lot of Grinches and Scrooges out there and they have the potential to rub off on you if you can’t set healthy boundaries. There are a lot of reasons why people aren’t at their best during the holidays, but their bad mood doesn’t have to affect you when you are ready, willing, and able to set boundaries and protect yourself from their negativity. Here are the steps you need to set healthy boundaries for a joyful season Step 1. Be aware Some people are going to be negative. Be aware. Be on the alert…
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Day 10. Celebrating the “Moments Between the Moments”
On day 10 of the “30 Days Blessed This Christmas” Challenge, we’ll focus on the moments between the moments. This means that even though the tendency is to fill up our schedules with big events and fantastic experiences… those “moments between the moments” are what really make life worth living. The moments between the moments have to do with communing and connecting with other human beings. Perhaps animals, too. The moments between the moments might be something of an extra surprise bonus experience that unfolded organically without “trying to make something happen”. Maybe you brought your kids to an amusement park, and a nice person who worked there took the…
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Money-Saving Tips for Happy and Financially Healthy Holidays
One of the fastest ways people get overwhelmed during the holidays is by overspending. Being financially unprepared for the holiday season leads to bad habits and poor choices that have serious repercussions at the beginning of the new year. Holiday spending is more than buying gifts, it’s usually a bunch of small things that add up. Things like- Décor Groceries Extra activities Extra giving/donations AND Gifts Money leaking out here and there for expenses you don’t have any other time of year adds up and can cause debt or overspending. Stress starts building up with each purchase and what should be a fun time of year starts to feel overwhelming.…
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Is It Time to Break Some Holiday Traditions?
Traditions are part of what makes the holidays memorable. Thinking back on your childhood, you might have some amazing memories of holiday’s past that are steeped in tradition. You may have even brought some of them into adulthood and your own family. There’s no doubt that traditions help families stay connected and remind them of their roots but there may come a time when it helps to break traditions and build new ones. Should Traditions always be Kept? Traditions can bring comfort and a sense of familiarity and belonging, but they can also be stifling and keep you from growing and expanding. Holding onto traditions can exclude other possibilities that…
