Making Memories During Christmas and the Holidays

    A favorite Christmas song has a line that describes Christmas as 'the most
wonderful time of the year.' While giving and receiving gifts is something that
is highly anticipated and remembered at Christmas time, there are also many more
activities that make Christmas memorable and wonderful.
    One of these activities is decorating the Christmas tree. The Christmas
tree occupies a central spot and is the most visible display of Christmas in
most homes. Unlike in other countries, most American homes do not have a
representation of the Nativity scene, which is more likely to be located at
churches.

The Perfect Punter - Christmas/new Year Special (2015/16)

  As soon as the Christmas season begins on the day after Thanksgiving,
families will begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree. This in itself
can become a memorable activity as children may accompany family members to
places like a Christmas tree farm to select a tree.
    Once a real or artificial tree is selected, then it's an exciting activity
for the entire family to play a part in decorating the tree. Manufactured
decorations come in many shapes and forms. But a special memory is created when
family members make a special ornament for the Christmas tree, or contribute one
or more keepsake items to decorate the Christmas tree. It then becomes a ritual
each year for those particular items to be placed on the Christmas tree although
other decorations may change in coming years.
    Another activity that can help to create special memories at Christmas is
baking cookies. Along with popular gingerbread cookies, using cookie cutters to
make special holiday-shaped cookies is also practiced a lot in households. Based
on the ages of children, they can help in the actual baking activity by
measuring and mixing some ingredients, or, younger children can sprinkle sugar
on the cookies or decorate them with icing when they are finished. Helping in
this activity can also be educational as parents can use the activity of
measuring and figuring out equivalent measures to teach fractions and other
mathematical elements.
    An activity that is related to food which also helps to create memories
during the Christmas season is making fruit and goody baskets, which are filled
with candies, baked items and other treats for loved ones, their special
friends, neighbors, teachers or for charity. Items such as goody baskets make
especially wonderful Christmas gifts because they are home-made. That quality
often makes them more treasured than a Christmas present that is bought at the
store.
    Because Christmas is the season of goodwill and good cheer, it is very
important to reach out to family, loved ones and friends during the season. The
busy lives that many people lead today often leaves them little or no time
during the year to be in frequent contact with family and friends who are
located far away, or even others who live within a reasonable distance in the
same or a neighboring state, for example.
It is therefore very common during Christmas to send a Christmas or holiday
greeting card to those individuals. Along with the pleasant memory of receiving
the card, there may be a short letter included that gives a brief account of any
significant event in the individual's life or with members of the family. That
makes sending and receiving Christmas greeting cards more memorable.
    Then there's probably the most anticipated activity of Christmas - finding
out what Christmas gift Santa brought on Christmas Eve. While adults also look
forward with much anticipation to see what Christmas gifts they will get, it's
really the children who get the most delight from receiving presents at
Christmas. The carefully planned actions to hide Christmas presents from
children and then to magically place them under the Christmas tree to be found
on Christmas morning is one of the most wonderful ways to create unforgettable
memories for children at Christmas.

Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

What comes to mind when you think about the holidays?

Do you groan, feeling burdened by all you have to do? Do you dread going shopping for gifts or cleaning up after a Christmas or Chanukah celebration?

Or, do you feel a sense of fun, of delight, of joy in the celebrating, giving and receiving?

Which part of you is in charge of the holidays – your judgmental self or your loving self?

 Think for a moment about the little child in you – the child that loved the holidays. What delighted you about Christmas or Chanukah? Most kids are really excited about receiving gifts, but many children also feel equally excited about giving gifts. Did you enjoy decorating your house?

Or, were the holidays a sad time, a time of heartbreak due to not having enough money? Or a time of loneliness due to the loss of a loved one? Were they a time of stress in your family? Was there abuse around the holiday time?

Whatever the situation of the past, you have an opportunity now, as an adult, to give your own inner child the Christmas or Chanukah he or she wants and deserves. You have an opportunity to move into gratitude for what you have rather than anxiety for all you have to do. Instead of choosing to dread or resist the holiday spirit, why not open to it, embrace it, feel the grace of it?

Let the child in you do the shopping for gifts. Let the child in you receive the delight of picking out just the right gift for a friend or loved one. Or let the child in you find some way to give, some way to share your love. Even if you are alone or poor, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, find a way to give your caring to someone who has less than you.

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The holiday spirit is about gratitude and giving. Take the opportunity to notice how fulfilling it is to joyously give rather than to resist or be angry about the work involved.
Take this opportunity to discover how full your heart feels when you choose to feel grateful rather than grumpy.

Feelings come from thoughts. If you choose to think, “Oh no, the holidays are here already. There is just too much work to do,” you may feel anxious and overwhelmed. If you choose to think, “What a drag to have to go out and buy presents,” you may feel resentful. If you choose to think, “Another holiday season and I am still alone,” you may feel depressed. If you choose to think, “This is just a commercial holiday so business can make money,” you may feel angry.

However, if you choose to think, “How can I make this fun?” you may feel excited. If you choose to think, “How can I give to others this holiday?” you may feel open hearted. If you choose to think, “I get to buy things for the people I love,” you may feel grateful.

So who do you want to be this holiday season? You can choose to be a Grinch, close-hearted and angry about Christmas. You can choose to be tense, anxious, judgmental, depressed, fearful, withdrawn, or resistant.

Or you can choose to be happy, peaceful, excited, grateful, loving, open hearted, and joyous. It is all up to you. How you feel is the result of how you choose to think about the holidays.

Why not try an experiment this holiday?” Refuse to allow negative thoughts. Instead, make a list of positive thoughts and as soon as a negative thought comes up, imagine changing channels on a TV, switching to the positive channel. Then notice how you feel!