Holiday anxiety…

The holiday bells are ringing, but are you really listening? Are they filling your heart and mind with joy, or do you feel anxiety about everything that must be done for the season? Do you feel pressure to buy the perfect gifts for loved ones, even as the economy weighs on your personal finances?
Let’s just stop!
You can also take someone to explore all the wonderful treasures in your own backyard — priceless fortunes that we might so often take for granted. The wonderful treasure of a warm hug might serve as the perfect gift certificate, perhaps reading, “This certificate gives you two BIG hugs a day and a special bonus hug before you go to bed.” There are so many things in our lives to be truly thankful for, to wrap up tight in our chest of treasures.
How about making a pledge that, every morning before you leave for work and send the children off to school, the whole family does “The Happy Dance”? This happy dance will express the blessed, joyful feelings your family possesses just to be alive, and together as a unit, meeting the challenges of the world. Just five or 15 minutes in the morning will do your minds and bodies good.
Another great treasure is the art of noticing the sunset, watching as it rises or disappears behind the mountains. Give the gift of listening to whatever someone in your house has to say, for one hour a day, and only commenting when asked to do so. Give yourself the gift of a long, hot bath every night, emerged in bubbles with candles lit, with the sweet sound of silence rocking you to relaxation.
Spouses can commit to sharing kisses whenever they meet or leave each other’s side. Family gifts can be hidden in soft conversations around the table, allowing silliness and memories to fill the room. We can also “walk around to stay around,” making this treasure either a family ritual or sacred “me” time. Speak to your neighbors, even when they have never spoken to you, because that is your vision of the home life you always wanted.
Embracing positive conversation and affirmation for others will only recharge the holy battery that keeps you ticking. For a beautification makeover, commit to planting those flowers in your yard and in your heart.
Before you know it, your holiday treasure chest will be full of “the good stuff” that will last a lifetime.