It’s getting to that time of year again. The official holiday season.
Yes, I know, I’m offending some readers by saying “holiday” instead of “Christmas”…but y’know what? Why can’t we be all-inclusive here? There are several holidays at this time of year: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice–I’m sure there are some more that I can’t think of at the moment….so I’m going to say holiday season. The season for holidays. There. Y’all all are included.
Though not a Christian, I actually quite enjoy the Christmas season. I love decorating (even though I’m not a fan of red and green–do you know how difficult it is to find Christmas-type decorations that are blue or silver? Most of them are Hanukkah decorations), I love seeing family and friends, and I love getting gifts for people I care about.
Receiving gifts is fun and all, too, but I actually enjoy the practice of giving gifts more…especially when I can see the look on the recipient’s face when they get something they really wanted, or something that makes them happy.
Yeah, this is sappy and cheesy…but it’s how I feel. My husband and I make a list of people we’re buying for every year and take a lot of time to make sure we’re getting things that people will want. It takes more thought than you might think. You can’t just go, “Oh, this person has such-and-such on their list.” You have to plan, you have to know the person, and you have to ask questions if you can’t think of anything right off the bat. That’s the key to enjoying your holiday season.
Don’t have anyone to buy for? That’s okay. Not everyone has a big family or a lot of friends. I myself hardly have any friends in town, and the few I do have I hardly ever see. Do something nice for someone, anyway. Donate to a charity, buy some toys for some tots…do something. Wallowing in self-pity doesn’t just ruin the holiday season for you, it ruins it for everyone who cares about you (and anyone around you).
“No one cares for me,” you say? Wrong. I don’t care you who are, there’s someone who cares about you. You may not know it, but they’re there. So pick your chin up, grab some eggnog, and give out some gifts. You’ll feel better. Unless you’re allergic to eggnog…then skip that part.