Happy Holidays!!

Happy Holidays!!

It seems like everywhere I turn, people are up in arms about how holidays should be celebrated and who or what it should or shouldn’t be about…

I seriously thought it was some huge joke that I didn’t understand when I heard that people were upset about the Starbucks cup!

A. Cup.

So, I figured I’d throw my two cents in the cup.

When I was coming up, we didn’t celebrate holidays.  In fact, we spent considerable time, not only learning why we shouldn’t celebrate holidays, but were then encouraged to try convincing others not to celebrate them.

And I get it: the origins of these holidays are much different from the way that they are often celebrated today.

But, here are some conclusions that I have drawn from watching people celebrate the holidays.

           The holidays are a way to spread love and joy. 

Regardless of the practice, at the heart of the holidays is being happy and wanting others to be happy.  I guess for people who are anti-happy, that would present a problem.  But, for everyone else, what is it going to cost to say a sincere “thank you” when wished a happy Hanukkah?

.        In a world where genuine connection is rare, the holidays afford us an opportunity to connect.    

I say we take it!  I have heard some remark that the only time that they see family is on the holidays.  Of course efforts can be made to do more, but why not take advantage of a time where most are not busy since their jobs and school have given them time designated to enjoy the holidays?  Many know the pain that comes from losing family members, so it seems to me that we should get on with the business of enjoying each other where there is still time to make memories.

3     The holidays give an opportunity for reflection and recharging.

Most goal setters use this time of year as a benchmark to see where they were the previous year and where they will be going the next.  The holidays are an easy time to do this because it’s a time where we often are reminded of the things that define our value system.

This year has been an amazing journey for me, so it truly is a time of celebration of things that I have been able to push through and past and now watching everything I have ever wanted literally fall into my lap.  I am excited about what this new year will bring because I am convinced that it will look exceptionally different from the past 30!

The biggest take away for me this year is how much I value life and the people in mine.  And it motivates me to want to do all that I can to add value to the lives of others around me in small and major ways.

I’m trying to make some people cry because they did something they never thought possible or achieved a goal that they’d been unable to.

I want to help more people become free.

To me, that’s what the holidays are really about.

I believe that each person has to search his or her own soul and find and assign meaning to the things that we do.

So, there were children who cried underneath the tree because they didn’t get what they wanted and many a people were trampled at Walmart by others looking for that last deal.

Sure.

But, the Collins family spent the holiday together in love, creating memories that will make our hearts smile for years to come.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!