A Day In The Life Of A Cat

Spirit

Nowadays, the Christmas spirit gets mixed up with the blues sparked by the holidays. We feel down, have less energy, put on a few pounds, and have difficulty getting up in the morning throughout the dark, short days of winter. Holiday blues have been around for a very long time....it's not something that has started in the last 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years. Holidays, for the most part, are happy and enjoyable, but even things that are happy and enjoyable can be stressful. It's a time when people accelerate their activities...sometimes overdo it in various ways, overparty, overspend, all of which can be stressful. The holidays are also something of a milestone for people. We think about where we are in life, look back at the year, make evaluations, and for many people, looking back make us feel bad. We tend to recall the not so good things and forget about our accomplishments. Of course we stress about small things like looking great at holiday events...having just the right outfit, what people will think of how we look...in the end, fretting over these things can result in having a terrible time. But all this stuff mentioned is getting off track from what this season is really about. There is the religious side of it which I cannot speak to because I am really very uneducated when it comes to the bible. But the other side of this season is about goodness, giving thanks....and giving.

Giving.

What's really makes me feel good this time of year. I'm not saying I don't like the "getting" part of the season, but I really do enjoy giving to others. Yesterday I stopped by a fire station on my way to work to drop off 7 Barbie dolls for Toys For Tots. I've been buying them all year long....each time I see one, I buy one. Greg asks me: "Don't you have enough of those?" The answer was always no. There are so many kids out there who don't have toys...100 dolls would not even make a dent in the number that is needed. So I buy them because I can...and because I should. It's a way to open your heart to others, to take the hard sharp edge off this world. We are becoming much to grumpy and bitter....it's time to shake that off and smile at the person in line next to you, let someone merge into your traffic lane rather than cutting them off, buy toys and food and give it to the people who are less fortunate than you this season. Let the spirit of Christmas into your heart and hold it there all year long. It makes me happy to know that 7 little girls eyes will widen and light up when they each get a Barbie doll this Christmas. They may keep their Barbie doll forever, who knows. And I made that happen....I will make 7 little girls happy this Christmas....and that lifts my spirit very high :)

I will leave you with a quote from A Christmas Carol:

Jabob's ghost says to Ebenezer Scrooge: "I wear the iron chain I forged in life. I earned it link by link, yard by yard. It's a ponderous chain. Do you know the length and weight of the strong chain you bare?"

Scrooge glanced around him on the floor, in the expectation of finding himself surrounded by a heavy iron chain: but could see nothing.

Jacob's ghost: "It was as long and as heavy as mine 7 Christmas Eves ago. You have labored on it since, Ebenezer...."

I believe it's important to try to keep the Christmas spirit in your heart all year long. Be kind and generous. Keep that iron chain in mind all year long.

---