the fresh perspective...

There is no denying that the holiday season is largely about giving and receiving gifts. At least in our part of the world. Whether we like it or not, society seems to shove it in our face, everywhere we go, as soon as November 1st hits. As much as we all know that these holidays did not originate this way, this has been the portion of these holidays that we have latched onto and emphasized.

Sure, most of us have very fond memories of opening gifts or wrapping presents for our family and friends. I would have to call bluff on anyone who tried to claim they hate the gift part of the holidays. But can we still enjoy the season sans presents?

There are definitely many other magical parts of the holiday season. Walking through your neighborhood with some hot chocolate to check out all the lights, a big fat feast with all your favorite humans, those classic holiday songs that bring back all the nostalgia, the list goes on. Seeing a tree with gifts underneath does instill a feeling of excitement but at the end of the day, is never the best part of the holidays. If I had to choose between watching Home Alone and giving up gifts, I would choose Kevin McCallister every time.

Memories with humans and nostalgia from those memories are a feeling that can never be replaced by receiving an object. I’m not trying to convince anyone to give it all up but we do tend to get a little carried away. Try choosing an activity to do with your loved one in lieu of purchasing something. Those memories will last way longer than an Apple Watch.

-the fresh perspective

the fresh perspective...

With the holidays quickly approaching, it's sometimes hard to keep it all in perspective.  December will be upon us next week and we'll all be operating on auto pilot.  Just going through the motions to get through this time.  We shouldn't view December as a pain but, let's face it, most of us do.

There are family gatherings, shopping excursions, holiday parties and winter events happening all month and it makes it hard to appreciate December when it seems it's the busiest time of the year.  If you're in retail, your ears have probably been bombarded with Christmas songs already and I'm sure you seen a few Holiday displays around.  If you're fortunate to NOT be in retail (sorry mall workers...) you might be able to stave off the aforementioned Holiday preparations for a few more weeks.  Eventually we'll all be in it, spending, waiting, eating, laughing and crying with our friends and family alike.

This time of the year is by far my favorite because it helps to remind me about what's really important.  Spending endless hours with my children 'doing' things, chatting about the past year with my mom and mother-in-law,  getting into it with the boys about why the Bears will/won't go to the playoffs, and just being surrounded by love and life...

Regardless of what you believe in or celebrate, please try to accomplish December with a small amount of joy in your heart and laughter in your voice.  It only takes a minute to get caught up in the material-ness of the upcoming month and I urge all of you to try to remember that there are other ways to approach December.  That's the fresh perspective...

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