I sincerely hope you thoroughly enjoy the time you spend with your family and loved ones during this holiday season. Not to get all Halmarky on you, but ever since the truth about Santa was revealed to us as children, being able to fully experience the "magic" of Christmas has been, well, illusive at best. Let's face it, for a lot of us just trying to make it through the holidays can be such a monumental task that it should be considered for the next winter olympics. Which is all the more reason to continually remind ourselves to live in the moment and really try to look for and enjoy the small things that so often get overlooked during the 100 yard holiday dash.
A recent study showed that Thanksgiving to New Years is the most stressful time of the year. The study went on to say, contrary to the popular misconception, that the holidays actually reeks havoc on all but the strongest relationships and marriages. So much for it being the most wonderful time of the year, huh?
Now, there's all kinds of things which can factor into holiday stress, such as: finances, lack of time, pressure of living up to the super mom/Betty Crocker/Martha Stewart persona, etc. Maybe your holiday consists of you being made to endure hours of confinement with a National Lampoons-like, family from hell. Maybe your significant other was the only member of his/her family to obtain an education level higher than a G.E.D., and the one skill for which her parents actually deserve an honorary PhD for is smoking pot..(incidentally, a skill/hobby which maybe overshadowed--killed, really--your asking their permission to marry their daughter!). And maybe the level of class among your partner's family stops just before better judgment would normally dictate the refraining of parents discussing their personal sexual relationship and their daughters' sexual relationships with everyone in attendance (within earshot of minors) and during the Christmas/Thanksgiving meal, no less. Perhaps it's not unheard of for things to get so juvenile and out of hand that the highlight of the festivities is your partner's mother being dealt a broken rib by her wonderful and loving offspring. Heck, I don't know, maybe for you, all that sounds like a Norman Rockwell holiday gathering.
The point I'm reaching for is regardless of the annually occurring nightmare/stress you're accustom to--although it may seem an impossibility--pay close attention and really watch for those small, overlooked smiles, gestures, kind words, or thoughtful glances which could turn your usual holiday debacle into a mini holiday miracle. For that matter, armed with your positive holiday self-affirmations and new found good will, perpetrate these niceties on your family (yes, that includes your in-laws!) and stay positive. I think you may just be surprised as to the ripple effect it causes, not to mention, the warm retrospective memories you'll be able to carry with you into the 2011 holiday season.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. But above all, I sincerely hope you experience the "magic" of the holidays!
