As we move into the holiday season it is time to start thinking about the basics.  What is the meaning of the season and why do we celebrate? Whatever holiday you are celebrating remember the true meaning of the season.  Remembering why we celebrate helps ground us from all the extras going on around us. 

Some of us love the holidays others would rather blink and have it be January.  For those of us who love the season, it is hard to imagine not loving the holidays.  Sometimes our excitement is a bit overwhelming, but spreading love and joy is fun, right? 

I do love the holiday season, but choose to focus on what I consider important to my family and me during the season.  We exchange gifts, indulge in fun foods, and spend time with our friends and family.  But we also are grounded in our beliefs.  We are thankful and grateful for the true meaning of the season. 

There are so many valid reasons why this time of year is difficult for people.  Many people walk through the season with a smile on their face yet if you search a little deeper you will see layers of pain unfolding.  The reasons are endless and very personal to each individual.  It is a time when you don’t know whether to reach out to the person or let them have time to be alone.  When at that crossroad I pray to be led to the best solution.  I pray that I don’t overstep the boundary and at the same time that I won’t miss an opportunity to include someone in some holiday joy.    

In this time of holiday rush, I try to focus on what it is I am trying to accomplish.  If I am shopping for a gift, I try to focus on the person and what brings joy to that individual.  I try to figure out what would put a smile on the face of the person I am trying to bless.  Sometimes we don’t find that perfect gift in the store, sometimes we have to give our time, and our love, or maybe we have to do something we don’t enjoy doing because it will make the person happy that we are trying to bless.  The funny thing is often I find that doing the thing I may not have wanted to do ended up making me happy too. 

In this time of holiday rush, what I enjoy the most are the simple things.  I enjoy the traditions, the memories that fill my mind when going through the holiday routine, and the feeling that fills my body when seeing someone receive that perfect gift.  For me, as I gaze at the decorated tree I see more than a beautiful tree filled with colorful ornaments.  I see a lifetime of memories.  Although I could choose to let some of those memories make me sad, I prefer to remember the joy. 

Throughout this holiday season, I wish you all peace, joy, hope, and most of all love.  I pray that the true meaning of the holiday shines through and that love and blessings are abundant. 

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