Living a Life with Purpose: Holiday Cheer

Written by Heather Hymas

Living a Life with Purpose: Holiday Cheer
I love how the holidays bring out the best in everyone. I stand back in pure awe as the people around me seem to emanate holiday cheer. Family members that don’t necessarily even like each other are hugging and laughing, acting as if they are best friends again. Co-workers are smiling and helping each other out. Busy shoppers are chatting and swapping stories of the best sales in town. Children are bonding together planning the perfect Christmas list options. Drivers are waving each other on in crowded parking lots and busy streets. Neighbors are exchanging gifts. Holiday cheer and a sense of love for one’s fellow man seem to permeate the air. Why do I only see this around the holidays? Why can’t we all show this kind of love for each other throughout the whole year? If it is available during the holidays, then I am certain it is available at all times. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I LOVE the holidays. I am completely a big sentimental sponge. I love it all, the tree, the lights, the smells, the decorating, the music, the gifts, the giving, the parties, the food, and the traditions… I am just sitting here today wondering why we can’t see some of the magic of Christmas all year long. How do we take the idea of living a life with purpose and incorporate the spirit of giving, forgiveness, and love into our daily lives? Why is it so easy during the holidays to show and share these qualities with others, but yet seemingly so hard to wrestle them up March through September? Let’s look at some of these qualities I’m talking about and examine how we can take them from the forefront of the holidays and incorporate them into our lives all year long.

Giving:
This one seems easy at first glance, but it is one that I really only see during the holidays. For some reason, we all have a soft spot for a child that isn’t getting any presents on Christmas day, or a family that doesn’t have money for a nice meal. I see people donating, putting together care packages, and selflessly giving in order to feel the magic of Christmas. How about feeling the magic of giving all year round? What about the child who doesn’t have food on a daily basis, or a backpack or suitable clothes for school? What if we all made a commitment to just notice what is going on around us and be conscious of when and where we can help? How about picking a charity or a family that needs help and helping them throughout the whole year? What if we just look for circumstances where we are able to feel gratitude for what we have, and share with someone in need as a way of daily living?

Forgiveness:
I love this one. How many times have you been told, or have thought to yourself, I am still really upset with this person about–fill in the blank–but I can put it aside for today. I can sit through one party or dinner and be cordial. I can do it for my mom, my wife, the kids, whatever. What if you really did forgive that person? What if you just made the decision that whatever they did to upset you was about where they are at and not about you? What if you decided to just see the positive qualities this person has to offer, or decided to just let go of the pain they have caused you? They may never change, but there is something good you can find in everyone. Or at the very least, you cannot take their bad behavior personally. You can forgive them knowing that it is their lesson to learn and that it is not about you. Let go of past grudges. Forgive, but don’t forget. You have the right to set boundaries with this person, and not allow them to express their bad behavior around you, but you don’t have to walk around feeling hurt or angry. Make a decision to forgive people on a daily basis.

Acceptance:
This is a more challenging goal to pursue than the others. Being able to accept our differences and love someone in spite of them is not always an easy task. I know for myself I easily get caught up in the idea of being right, or wanting others to understand my point of view. This is not reality. Others may never see when I am right (ha ha) or understand my position on certain topics. I can easily put these differences aside during the holidays and make accommodations that I wouldn’t normally, so if that is the case I need to be able to do that throughout the entire year. I have seen different religions even come together during the holidays to support each other and/or people in need, so why can’t I put my political views aside when dealing with members of my family, or others in the community?  It is a matter of looking at the big picture. Am I going to let my beliefs keep me from accepting someone for who they are? Do I seek acceptance? I believe we all do, and sometimes that needs to be more important than who is right. Accept the world around you on a daily basis.

Gratitude:
Facebook has been filled with beautiful pictures, posts of gratitude, and thankfulness all month long. As much as I love to see this, and believe people mean it; how long does this feeling last for you? Can you think of a time in May or August that you posted pictures of your family and a special meal or activity just because you were grateful to have them in your lives? Did you tell them? I have written before on the power of gratitude and its ability to change any situation around, but have you incorporated it into your daily living? Take a moment each day and find something you are grateful for. Take an inventory each month throughout the year and make sure you have told the people in your life how amazing they are and how much they mean to you.  Gratitude has the power to change your experience about anything, and it opens the door for others into your heart. Share and be grateful for something every day.

Cheer:
Cheer means being joyful and spreading that happiness to all we come in contact with. Watching the smile on a child’s face as he opens a gift, singing Christmas carols, preparing a special traditional meal, using the good dishes, reminiscing over fond memories, or just driving around to look at Christmas lights are some of the things that we usually only do during the Holidays. But I believe we can take this cheer and spread it throughout the year. Use the good dishes just because it’s Tuesday. Give someone a special gift just because they have been going through a rough patch. Sing, dance, and reminisce over fond memories every time you have someone over to dinner. Make sure you take the time to spread some cheer every day. Plan a special get together or make a new tradition with your loved ones throughout the year. Make a commitment to be cheerful to yourself and others on a daily basis.

I find myself forgetting these things throughout the year as I get busy or wrapped up in my own needs, wants, and ambitions, but let’s all give ourselves the gift of being mindful throughout the whole year.  Let’s all remember what we are capable of during the holidays, is available to us at all times. None us know what life will bring, or how much time we have left on this planet, so make sure the people around you feel the magic of the holidays all throughout the year by accepting them, forgiving them, being grateful, and giving to them–whether that gift is our time, our compassion, or a material object. Take the magic of Christmas and on a hot day in July, or any day, spread some holiday cheer.