Preparing for the holidays, attending additional holiday functions, wrapping up work projects, taking care of performance reviews, and trying to maintain a home life could make any holiday season go from jolly and bright to crazy and stressful in the blink of an eye.  As much as we all know conceptually holidays are not about being crazy and stressful; it not uncommon for us to get wrapped up in everything that makes us feel like we’re not in control and have no time.  So this article comes to you with a request.
 

The request is to take this moment of time you are using to read this article and forget about all the things that contribute to making your holiday crazy and stressful.  Holidays were not created to cause stress.
 

Holidays were created to:
Recognize
Celebrate
Acknowledge and
Appreciate.

Sometimes it takes really stopping, taking a “time out” on life, if you will, to remember the meaning of our holidays.  What holiday(s) are you celebrating this winter season?  When you push past the decorating, parties, and gift giving what do you find?  What does the holiday season mean to you?
 

In asking you to reflect on these questions, I knew it is only fair that I take the time to reflect on them as well.  I have to admit, I had to take a moment and get over the stress I was putting on myself about stopping to reflect.  I don’t know about you, but I could name a million other things I could be doing with my time like, oh, finishing up decorations around the house or sending out holiday cards.  Something in me kept nagging that these questions were important and I need to answer them, so I made up a cup of spiced cider and stopped the holiday craziness for a moment to think.
 

Holidays are about joy and laughter.  They are about appreciating what you have, being gracious about what you receive, and giving from your heart.  Holidays allow us the time to reflect on our relationships past, present, and future.  It is a time to share.  Holidays can give us a chance to connect or reconnect with our faith.  They give us an opportunity, if we choose to take it, to make others feel good and in turn feel good ourselves. 
 

Holidays give us the most marvelous opportunity of choice. We can choose to get sucked into the craziness and stress and not come out.  We can also choose to recognize, celebrate, acknowledge, and appreciate.  What is your choice this holiday season?