The holidays are upon us and, for many, it is a time of celebration, happiness and generosity. But for others, it is a time of sadness, depression, frustration and anxiety. The holidays bring up many emotions within us. We naturally think of our families at this time of year and memories arise of past holidays--which may have been happy, bittersweet, or just plain awful.
One problem can be our idealized view of what we think the holidays should be like. Maybe it's because of the movies we saw growing up or the commercials on television showing joyful reunions and lots of packages under the Christmas tree.
It's important to be gentle and understanding with ourselves and others this time of year. Each person is dealing with his or her "stuff".
When the craziness of shopping and baking and entertaining gets to be too much, it is time to step back, get still and relax. Breathe and smile, keep a sense of humor, and remember what the holidays are really all about--love.
Here is a link to a great little video (takes only a minute) about living in light-heartedness. I hope you will take the time to watch it.
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