What You Can Do To Make Your Holidays More Meaningful

The Manifesto Of Strength

This Holiday Season should be the most meaningful and fulfilling time of year. We should feel warm, loved, and above all, be happy.But studies show year after year that isn't always the case. While millions of people enjoy the holidays, many more start feeling down in the dumps. Why? There are several good reasons.The Christmas season in the United States became commercialized about 150 years ago when large stores realized they could pull customers in with big Christmas specials. Buying and giving gifts became a huge part of Christmas.All the gift buying could be your favorite part of the season, but a growing number of us report we spend too much, go into more debt, and don't feel all that great about it afterward.By January 1, you may feel like lots of good things were SUPPOSED to happen to you, but never did. The result can be an unpleasant case of the winter blues.Through all the hubub, you can forget the season is REALLY supposed to be about loving and helping others. A clergy person and charities will probably remind you loving others is what the holidays are about, but somehow that all gets lost in the rush to give gifts and party.My message to you this Holiday Season is to take a little time out of your very busy schedule to help someone in need. You do more good than you'll know, and YOU will feel great about it.This could be as simple as giving a few cans of food to your local food bank so a hungry family can eat, or leaving still wearable cloths at a drop box, or inviting an elderly or single acquaintance to share dinner with your family.The impact on these individuals in need can be vast.

Not only will people be getting the nutrition, clothing, and shelter they so often desperately need, they'll feel like someone cares.And knowing someone cares about you could well be the most important thing we can posses. Going through life knowing you're down and out and, even worse, no one cares, is a devastating thing that pushes people even lower.The holidays can worsen the situation by making people who are living alone feel even more alone. When you wake up on Christmas morning remembering when you had a family happily gathering around the tree, but now you have no one -- well, that's one of the hardest things in the world.I, along with helpful volunteers, run a coffeehouse ministry on Long Island, NY. Each Thanksgiving everyone comes down to help prepare dinner for those who would be ALONE on this important day. People stream in to be part of the event. You can't imagine how many people struggle and would have been by themselves..They leave here like "family."As Christmas and New Years approach, do what you can to help someone. I guarantee your holidays will be more meaningful.

Designing Your Christmas Budget

You've decided to have a Christmas Budget this year, great! Having a Christmas budget means less stress and bigger savings for you. Here are some budget ideas to think about when designing your Christmas budget.

Think of what categories you will need to have in your budget. Here are some sample categories:

Gifts:

Spouse
Child #1
Child #2
Niece
Nephew
Aunt
Uncle
Grandparent
Friend
Friend #2
Church Exchange
Work Exchange
Teacher #1
Teacher #2

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Decorations:

Outside
Inside
Tree
Gift

Food:

Party

Christmas Day Dinner

Host/Hostess

Cookies for Neighbors

Misc:

Stamps for Christmas Cards

Wrapping Paper

Christmas Cards

Charitable Donations

Party Clothes

Party costs

Now that you have your budget categories, you need to put in allotted $ dollar amounts for each category. You can do this by using the amount that you have in your Christmas Fund if you have one. If you know for sure that you are receiving a Christmas bonus than you can use the amount. Once you have assigned a dollar amount to each category it is important that you keep a tally of how much is spent so that you have a good running total of not only the amount left in each category but what the total $ amount is for the entire Christmas budget at any given time.

Be realistic when it comes to assigning dollar amounts to the categories. You may wish to look at your spending for past years in each category, take into consideration the cost of living increase for the current year to arrive at a decent estimate for each category. If you keep a check register and pay for most items using checks then you have a handy reference tool to use for determining amounts.

When it comes to buying gifts or planning the holiday meal, be sure to check your budget to see just how much you can spend for this particular item. Actually put the dollar amount on the shopping list (in the corner) to remind you of what your budget is, and stick to it. Do not be tempted to overspend no matter how tempting a store item may seem, stick to your budget.

Print out your budget and have it with your while you are comparison shopping (do this online). When you know just how much you have budgeted for an item it is easier to know for sure if it is a good deal or not.

Christmas Around the World

Christmas in the Birthplaces of Traditions -- Bethlehem, Germany and England

        Christmas as celebrated today is a culmination of centuries of  traditions that are religious and secular and which came from different  countries around the world. It is interesting therefore to look at some of the  general ways in which Christmas is celebrated in these countries. The traditions
examined for each country will be examples of some of the things that are unique  to that country and which are done today, or which were once done by people in  those countries.

       To begin, it is symbolic to look at the town of Bethlehem, which is  believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. The Church of the Nativity is located in  Bethlehem and at Christmas it is decorated with a lot of flags and other  Christmas decorations. A very large crowd usually gathers at The Church of the
Nativity on Christmas Eve to see a dramatic parade procession of horsemen, led  by police who are mounted on Arabian horses. Following the police in the  procession is a lone horseman who carries a cross, followed by churchmen and  government officials. Members of the procession solemnly enter the doors of The  Church of the Nativity and place an ancient effigy of Jesus in the church. A  silver star located deep in an underground cave-like section of the church marks  the site where Jesus was born. A star is also set atop a pole in the town's  square. In Bethlehem, homes of Christians usually have a cross over the door and  a manger scene is usually set up inside the house.   

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        In Germany, home of the Christmas tree tradition, the Christmas tree  is not seen until Christmas Eve. The tree is usually kept in a special room, or  elsewhere, and decorated in secret with lights, ornaments, tinsels, angels,  candies, nuts and cookies. It is then lighted, the presents placed underneath  and then shown to the delight of Children on Christmas Eve. In Germany, Dec. 6
is known as St. Nicholas Day when Santa visits the homes of boys and girls. On  the day before, Dec. 5, children leave a shoe or boot outside or by the  fireplace for Santa Claus. If they were good, he places gifts and candies inside  the shoe. But if they were naughty, children will find twigs or a rod in their  shoe. Dinner on Christmas Day includes roast goose, long loaves of bread filled  with raisins, nuts and dried fruits. Other sweet delicacies are also enjoyed. Many traditions in England are similar to those in the United States because  such traditions originated in England and were brought to the United States by  immigrants. The tradition of sending Christmas greeting cards started in England
and is still popular at Christmas, as well as the tradition of neighborhood  caroling on Christmas Eve. Children also hang stockings on Christmas Eve in  anticipation of Santa Claus filling them with Christmas gifts or treats. The  holly, ivy and mistletoe are also used a lot in Christmas decorations. In
England, the traditional Christmas Dinner is roast turkey, goose or chicken with  stuffing, vegetables and roast potatoes. Dessert consists of the British or  Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. A rich, fruit-filled Christmas cake may  also be enjoyed later in the day.  A tradition of pulling Christmas crackers  also goes with the serving of food on Christmas Day. A cracker is a paper tube  that contains a party hat, riddle, toy or trinket, and is brightly colored and  twisted at both ends. It gives out a crack as the contents pop out when it is  pulled at each end. Also on Christmas afternoon, the Queen broadcasts a  Christmas message to the nation, which is heard on radio and television. The day
after Christmas is also a holiday that is known as Boxing Day.

Asides - Interesting Facts/ Notes About Christmas

It is an accepted fact that the Christmas tree tradition is one that was  brought to the shores of America by German immigrants who continued a practice  that was popular in their former homeland. Today, a Christmas tree, even a  miniature one, is present in just about every home at Christmas. It is therefore  interesting to note some little-know facts about the Christmas Tree and other  traditions related to Christmas.

 The first interesting fact is the source of real Christmas Trees for some  Americans. These can be bought at a Christmas Tree Farm or at many local stores  and other places of business in just about every town and city across the  country around Christmas time. But according to the National Christmas Tree  Association, Americans buy about 330,000 Christmas trees that are real through
e-commerce or from a catalogue and have them shipped by mail-order.  The scent of real Christmas trees is the reason they are so popular. But as they  stand silently in their decorative wonder, they also are providing another  benefit. The Christmas Tree Association says the amount of oxygen produced on a  daily basis by one acre of Christmas tree is enough to provide enough oxygen for  18 people. And during the first week, a Christmas Tree at home will use up to  one quart of water each day to help retain its longevity for the many days of  Christmas.

      Since Christmas celebrations gained popularity in America, the Christmas Tree  has always been a big tradition. During the 1950s however, artificial Christmas  trees were not always green. It was very popular during those times to have  artificial trees with other colors such as silver, pink and aqua. The appeal in  having these colored Christmas trees may have been due to the fact that they
looked shiny and bright and appeared like tinsel instead of green foliage. An important ceremony related to the Christmas tree that gains national  attention during the Christmas season is the lighting of the National Christmas  Tree at the White House. This tradition can be credited to President Calvin
Coolidge who lit the first decorated Christmas tree outside at the White House  in 1923.
    
     The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has also been used to convey some  symbolic meaning not related to Christmas. It was not lighted until Dec. 22 in  1963 because of a national mourning period of 30 days for the assassination of  President Kennedy. And while Teddy Roosevelt was President he gave an order that  banned the Christmas tree from the White House, not for the assassination of  President McKinley in 1901, which caused him to become president, but for
reasons related to the environment.   Also of note is that when the National Christmas Tree was lighted on Dec. 13 in  1984, temperatures were in the 70s during an unusually warm December.
Christmas has been celebrated in the United States since the 1600s although it  wasn't always very popular. It took more than two centuries into the mid-late  1860s for Christmas to become a popular holiday season all across America. So  maybe the rest of the country owes the holiday of Christmas Day to the state of  Alabama, which in 1836 became the first state to declare Dec. 25 a legal
holiday.

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     It is interesting to note that on Christmas Day of 1789 Congress was in session.  And to show how far ahead of the game Alabama was, it wasn't until June 26, 1870  that the federal government declared Christmas as a federal holiday.  Although Christmas is based on the Christian religion, not all Christian groups  celebrate the season. Among the Christian groups who do not celebrate Christmas  and related traditions such as sending greeting cards are Jehovah Witnesses.  Jehovah Witnesses and other non-participating Christian groups say Christmas  isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible as a time or reason to celebrate and  since they strictly adhere to the word of the Bible, they refuse to celebrate  Christmas.

Ancient Celebrations Of The Christmas Holiday

Christmas may very well be the oldest holiday that is shared across the many cultures of the world; it is traditionally celebrated during the winter season (or even the warm summer season if you count Australia, where Christmas is celebrated as an official holiday).

Before Christmas was celebrated, people were finding time to celebrate in Europe during the winter holiday before the birth of Jesus Christ ever even occurred!


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The Winter Solstice has always been a time to celebrate and rejoice; it is celebrated on December 21 in the northern hemisphere and it was after the Winter Solstice that the worst part of the year was behind them. It was at that point during the year that the days began to get longer, giving the people more time to spend outside on their crops and tending to their animals.

In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Often times the Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Of course, as the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would count the sparks and each spark stood for a farm animal (a cow, a goat, a pig, etc) that would be born on their property that year. It is important to note that farm animals were signs of wealth back then.

Saturnalia is a celebration of the Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god of agriculture, who was named Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, the entire Roman empire is in a state of social disarray. Servants and peasants spend time with and celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which was a rarity back then.

The Saturnalia festival in itself can last as long as an entire week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over the country of Rome. The phrase ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ was played out to its fullest. Shops and businesses are closed during the Festival of Saturnalia. Following the first week of Saturnalia, the festival itself usually ends, but the Saturnalia period itself does not end.

In addition to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, the Romans also worshipped an infant type god named Methra, who was carved out of a rock. On Mithra’s birthday, people also rejoiced, just as they did during Saturnalia. The day of this rock god’s birthday was one of the most sacred days of the year for the Roman people. It was a time for celebration and togetherness, and for family.

Alone for the Holidays?

Being alone is a challenge for many people. This challenge may loom especially large during the holidays if you are single or newly divorced and without family around you. Holidays are a time to share love, and many people end up feeling depressed when they do not have people around with whom to share love. If you are in this situation, what can you do to make the holidays joyous rather than depressing?

The key phrase here is SHARE LOVE. Too often people think in terms of getting love rather than giving and sharing their love. They don’t realize that it is the act of giving their love that is so very fulfilling.

Gail had grown up very lonely in an emotionally distant family, with parents who did not freely give their love and relatives who were also cold and distant. She had married an emotionally distant man, and after 7 years of more loneliness, had decided to leave him. This was her first holiday season alone.

Gail decided that she was not going to be alone and lonely again this holiday season. She did some research on service agencies that needed volunteers and discovered a women’s shelter in her area for women and their children who were hiding from physically abusive husbands. The shelter was badly in need of funds for food, which Gail didn’t have. What she did have was the time to help gather food. Each day, after her job as a secretary, Gail went around to the markets in her area until she found some willing to donate Thanksgiving dinners for the mothers and their children. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, she spent her time at the shelter cooking, decorating, serving, and having Thanksgiving dinner with these brave women who had left their abusive husbands to save themselves and their children. It was the best Thanksgiving she ever had! By choosing to share her love with people who needed her, she felt filled with love.

Gail had such a fulfilling experience that she found a small part-time job in addition to her regular job so that she could afford to buy presents for the children at the shelter for Christmas. She had such fun buying presents for the children and watching their joyous little faces as they opened them on Christmas day! Gail felt anything but alone and lonely.

Gary was in a similar situation to Gail. He was single, had been an only child to parents who were no longer alive, and had no close relatives. His janitorial business did not give him much opportunity to make friends. Gary had spent many lonely holidays feeling isolated and depressed, and decided a few years ago to do something about it.

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Gary loved animals. As a child, his dog had been his main connection with love. After some research, Gary discovered that there was a wonderful animal shelter within a half-hour of his home – a shelter that loved and cared for animals and didn’t euthanize them. Gary started to volunteer one day a week on the weekends – cleaning, feeding, playing with puppies and kittens, helping to interview people who wanted to adopt a pet, and getting to know the other volunteers. He found that he really connected with the people who volunteered there. Many of them were loving people who were deeply devoted to caring for animals. As his friendships developed, he found he had a new sense of family centered around the shelter. Thanksgiving and Christmas were now sometimes spent with the other volunteers who did not have families, and sometimes with the families of some of the volunteers. Gary’s life had become full and fulfilling. The last I heard, he was dating a woman who also volunteered at the animal shelter.

No matter what your life situation is, you can always share your love with others. Instead of feeling alone and lonely this holiday season, open your heart to giving. There are many people and animals out there who would welcome your love.

All I Want For Christmas ... Is Time To Myself

Get the turkey; check the Black Friday ads; make the Christmas card list; start shopping; put up the decorations; attend school concerts; make cookies; make fudge; make school party goody bags; get a gift to pass; send out the cards; pick out the tree; replace the bulbs; hang the outside lights; go to the office party; more shopping; assemble presents; wrap presents ….

Busy moms far and wide will tell you it's the same each year. Every year you decide that next year won't be as hectic – yet somehow it always is. This year vow to find some time for yourself during the busy and stressful holiday season.

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We've all heard it before: if you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting. You can look to find that time all month long. However you will not find some time for yourself unless you make some time for yourself.

Make is an action verb meaning to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone. If you are just going about the necessities of the holiday season aimlessly hoping for a few spare moments of solitude, you will not find that time.

Right now, before the weeks close in on the blessed event, turn a new leaf. You have to consciously decide upon and then commit to following your action plan. Start with your calendar. If you're a mom, you have a calendar of some form. Decide now if you want 15 minutes daily of nothing or one whole afternoon weekly of nothing.


It's not a new idea to schedule some time to yourself. What may be new is that you are actually going to write – in pen – the word "Nothing" each week (or day) on your calendar. You must agree to treat that time as if it was an orthodontist appointment. You will not schedule anything else in that time frame.

Mom's taxi service generally puts on a few miles. Vow to turn off your cell phone while you are traveling in the car. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, in case the children need to reach you then vow not to answer it. And that means do not make phone calls either.

"But… but… I'm so busy. I have to make those calls!" Did you know that studies have been conducted by zoologists regarding animals and downtime? If the animals are left out in the public eye for more than six days they become agitated. Each week, zookeepers pull the animals inside for a day of rest and relaxation.

If the lions, tigers and bears need some downtime without stimulation, doesn't it stand to reason that Homo sapiens do too? Do you find yourself getting a little agitated if you are left out in the public eye too long to deal with all the demands placed on a busy mom?

Your body was created to need downtime. Still not convinced? Consider the workplace production studies. Some employees are pushing for four 10-hour days instead of five eight hour days. However the studies show that productivity declines significantly after eight hours of working. They may be present for ten hours but only fully productive for eight. All your madness isn't really giving you productivity.

Perhaps you're hoping for some magical tips on how to find more time for yourself. You want someone to tell you that if you follow steps 1, 2 and 3 this holiday season will be so much more relaxed than you were last year.

All you really need is step one – make a conscious effort that you will make time and that you will not allow outside influences to interfere with your very much needed time to yourself.

You are only as busy and harried as you allow yourself to be. It is within your span of control to enjoy the busy weeks of the holiday season.

Dr. Paul Pearsall said it best in his book, Toxic Success: How to Stop Striving and Start Thriving, "The work will wait while you watch the rainbow. The rainbow won't wait while you work.”

The Christmas Holiday - Many Holiday Traditions

Christmas is a yearly holiday when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and many families exchange Christmas gifts. It is celebrated on December 25th.

There are many holiday traditions including Christmas dinner, sending Christmas cards, visiting Santa, baking Christmas cookies and making homemade Christmas candies. Homes are decorated inside and out with colorful lights and holiday decorations. People usually try to spread goodwill, compassion and peace during the Christmas holiday season.

Some countries celebrate on Christmas Eve, other on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, while other countries celebrate Boxing Day on December 26th. One church, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th. The date is just a tradition and is not considered to be Jesus’ actual birth date.

The word "Christmas" actually comes from two words: Christ's mass. Many of the seasons decorations lead back to Christ's birth such as Nativity managers, star ornaments and the giving of gifts.

Christmas day during the Middle ages was more of a festival. King William I of England chose Christmas Day to be crowned king in 800.

During the Reformation, Protestants condemned the celebration of Christmas as mere trappings, while Catholics promoted the festival as a religious event.

Colonial America saw the Puritans disapproving of the trappings of the Christmas celebration and it was outlawed in Boston in 1659 to 1681. However Christian residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the holiday.

Charles Dickens' book "A Christmas Carol", published in 1843 did much to revive the holiday that was to instill goodwill and compassion. Washington Irving also wrote short stories about Christmas and the "Twas the Night Before Christmas Poem by Clement Clarke.

There was great controversy in the 20th century over the nature of Christmas (was it a religious holiday or was it a secular holiday). The issue was brought to trial several times to decide because of the view that a federal holiday was a violation of separation of church and state. On December 6th, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin vs. United States declared that "the establishment of Christmas Day as "a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a secular purpose." This decision was later upheld on December 19, 2000 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Many christians believe the holiday has become too secular and it is common to hear cries of "getting back to the true meaning of Christmas" around the holidays.

'Tis The Season For Volume

Do you know how many turkeys are eaten during the holiday season? Below are a few interesting facts regarding the volume of turkeys eaten, cards sent, and much more.

Christmas Cards
Do you enjoy receiving cards in the mail? How many do you think you get each season? There are roughly 1.9 billion Christmas cards sent in the United States every year to friends, family members, and acquaintances, making Christmas the #1 card sending occurrence, followed by Valentine's Day.

Packages
The number UPS is expected to deliver this year is over 340 million. The busiest day is expected to reach 20 million deliveries, which translates to 230 packages being delivered every second during that day.

Turkey
There are approximately 60 million turkeys consumed in the United States through the holiday season. Each American eats around 13.7 pounds of turkey every year! You think you are tired of turkey once Christmas is over? This may be why.

Christmas Trees

Next time you are lugging your tree home, remember this little fact. There are 20.8 million Christmas trees cut in the U.S. every year, with Oregon being the largest producer. Tree farmers retail roughly $506 million from the sale of trees. There is $69 million worth of artificial trees imported from China alone. Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real trees every year since 1991.

Christmas Tree Ornaments
China is the largest importer of Christmas ornaments which totals $561 million between January and August. Apparently those little trinkets are purchased year-round to have handy when Christmas time approaches.

Decorating
Most malls and other stores begin decorating for the holiday season on November 1st.

Holiday Shopping
Holiday sales are expected to hit $439.53 billion this year. December accounts for roughly 15% of stores' yearly sales, except for in the case of jewelry stores, which is closer to 24%. However, most Americans only expect to spend an average of $681 each this holiday reason. On Black Friday, approximately $8.01 billion was spent, totaling $16.8 billion for the weekend. Residence of the New England states are expected to spend the most, with the South expected to spend considerably less.

Toys

 Roughly 45% of shoppers this year will be purchasing toys, with Barbie and video games being the most sought after products.









Holiday Music
The most frequently played holiday song is "Jingle Bells", with "White Christmas" running a close second. Bing Crosby's "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" is the #1 best selling Christmas single of all time.