Christmas Is About Presence, Not Presents

As we get older, our Christmas list becomes less about store bought gifts and more about those priceless feelings of togetherness.  I’ve found it’s the simplicity of spending quality time with family and friends that means more to me than anything else.  As the title above reads, it’s about PRESENCE and not PRESENTS.

Being present during the holidays helps to encourage and grow feelings of joy, peace and good cheer.  It’s sharing time and connecting with people.  It’s the simple joys of goodwill that we foster when we get out of the commercialism of Christmas and into the basic feeling of love to all.

Enjoy the simplicity of Christmas presence this year.  Open your hearts with gratitude for this moment in time.  Be thankful for each and every blessing and share your heartlights with all whom you encounter.  Life is good, even when it’s difficult and a loving presence is all we truly have.

Much love and Christmas Blessings to All!

Shine On!

xo

December 1st Rabbit Rabbit

The holidays are coming as December 1st heralds the way!  Please take the opportunity to spread peace and love this month, beginning today.  Notice how the rabbits are touching and lighting the way for connections.  You can do this too – shine your heartlights!  Take the time to be with family and friends.  Give of yourself with infinite kindness.  You matter.  You make a difference.  You are extraordinary!

I hope you remembered to say Rabbit Rabbit yesterday without my reminder!  I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post this on time, but I do pray you have the most abundant month full of love, light, caring, health, wealth, holiday spirit and joy!

Shine On!

xo

Changes in Attitude

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Do you feel it?  That palpable change in attitude ~ the exciting buzz that the holidays seem to ignite ~ the warmth and generosity of others that increases as the month goes on?  Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, there’s a lull which feels so necessary to me.  It’s a time to regroup, to figure out the gifts and recipients, to plan and to decorate, to bake and to bring that festive spirit into the lives of others.  As it says above, to me, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the YEAR!”

On the flip side though, the holidays can be difficult for some as well.  Lonely and alone are hard sentiments to have in your heart.  Those who have lost loved ones often feel the burden of missing those whom they love at the holidays ~ the sadness often overwhelms them at this time as they are surrounded by the living while missing the ones who have passed.  When you’ve been part of a couple and now you’re a single, it can be a difficult transition.  Although others try to keep you involved, ultimately, it’s your deciison of how involved you are in the festivities.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I tried to get my Mom to attend Thanksgiving this year.  She simply did not want to go.  I tried everything, guilt, cajoling, joking, being nice, being stern and demanding and she dug in her heels and refused.  She wanted to spend it alone at home and nothing I could say or do would change her mind.

So, I listened to her heart.  I honored her need to be at home and I modified Thanksgiving to include a small luncheon over the weekend with my Sissy and Mom.

It was hard letting go of what I believed was best for her.  I selfishly wanted memories for our family and for Mom herself.  I wanted photos of Thanksgiving turkey-filled bellies all together watching football.  Instead, we celebrated without her, but with her spirit and my Dad’s spirit in our hearts if not at our table.  I won’t say it was easy to know that she was choosing to not celebrate with us.  But I will say, that I learned to change my attitude and perhaps that was the best gift I could have given to my Mom and to myself.

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude. -Oprah Winfrey

Instead of being hurt that she wasn’t with us, I relished a leisurely lunch with my Sissy and my Mom.  I enjoyed a meal without hubbub with Mom to enjoy all that she is without distraction.  I let go of what I thought “should be” and embraced what is ~ and it changed our relationship, my life and the holidays for us both.

So even though for me there’s a bit of melancholy in the air as it’s only the 2nd Christmas without my Dad and my Mom is not so keen on being around a lot of people at one time, I am also finding a bit of cheer in the festiveness in the air, the joy of playing jolly ol’ Saint Nick’s wife (ahem) and in finding the blessings and peace in the reason for the season.

What about you?  Do you feel those changes in attitude?  Or are you feeling a bit Scrooge-like at the moment?

Shine On!

xo

   

Join the Fun!

Bloggers Unite ~ Come Join the Holiday Card Exchange!

One of last week’s blog post was about the priceless feeling that I got when Julia sent me 2 cards.  Truly, it just touched my heart.  I feel that we all have such amazing connections and I’d love to give you that great feeling as well ~ it was so much fun ~ why not expand it?

And then I found that I’m not the only one who feels this way as Andrea Kelly in the blog post below also wants to host a card exchange so I thought I’d join her.  Connecting again, I thought we could expand the holiday card exchange and I’d let her take the lead since she’s got an easy way to sign up on her blog!

The Hand-Written Life is all about personal connection, inspiration, heartfelt messages and fostering those ideals whenever possible. So Click Here to sign up between now and November 29th to join and be part of the Holiday Celebrations!

Now for me, I’ll give you an easy way to send the holiday cards ~ CLICK HERE!

Above are just a few cards from the card catalog on my website.  There are thousands of cards to choose from or you can make your own!  Upload photos and even videos to add to the greeting card that you make from your home computer but is received through the mail as a real card!  Write in your own handwriting font, sign with your own signature and customize your card easily!

For those of you who haven’t signed up yet, but are interested – what are you waiting for?  Remember, you don’t have to be a regular reader of either of our blogs, or even a blogger, to join in – and cards can center around any winter holiday!  But you better hurry…there are only a few days left!

Shine On!

xo

 

Let it Snow…on WordPress!

Have you seen the SNOW lately?  Would you like to know how?  Well, look no further my friends, Kathy over at ShareChair will tell you!  You can find it here!

How to Add Snow to your WordPress Blog.

And of course, I have to add a bit of Misifusa to the post….

so please join Dean Martin, Bambi, Thumper and some SNOW!

Let it Snow!

Let it Snow!

Let it Snow!

xo

Christmas All Year Long…

Christmas is a little bit of home that we hold in our hearts

Have you noticed that a few blogs have snow gently falling?  How cool is that?  Thanks WordPress as the virtual snow just raised my spirits up a notch!  My heartfelt thanks to my blogger friend David at http://davidkanigan.com/  for kindly letting me in on the way to make it snow!  FYI:  You should stop by and see him as well ~ he’s a master of cool stuff!

I love snow, don’t you?  Watching it gently fall outside while I”m cozy and nestled warmly inside?  Ahh…it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas…and it feels so good!  Now if the Jersey weather would just be less tropical, I’d be happy!  I know, I know, there’s time for cold ~ I agree…but a nip in the air would make it feel more like Christmas!

Lucky for me, I found this card last night when I was working and when I found this one, I knew that I had to use it for my inspiration.  You see, for me, it brings up the possibility that if we were to keep that little bit of home in our hearts all year long, we could make the Christmas Spirit last all year long…how wonderful would that be?  Can you imagine it?  Wouldn’t you like it?  A bit of holiday spirit everyday?!

Imagine a Baker’s Dozen of Warm, Gooey Ways Our Lives Would Change

When We Keep the Christmas Spirit in Our Hearts for 12 Months

1.  We feel the love and generosity in the air all year long.

2.  Everyone stays on their best behavior so that Santa and his Elves don’t put them on the Naughty List!

3.  More people are singing and smiling everyday!

4.  The Season of Giving and of World Peace is an everyday occurrence.

5.  Gratefulness is a daily sentiment ~ instead of tipping only at Christmas!

6.  Happy memories with family and friends occur more often!

7.  Reminiscing about those who have passed keeps their memories alive.

8.  A lightness in heart keeps people huggable.

9.  We sit down and enjoy our meals ~ with our families and friends!

10.  We send cards filled with loving words and pictures of our families and connect more often!

11.  I Believe is a sentiment heard more often than not!

12.  We enjoy the twinkling of lights and take time to contemplate their beauty.

13.  We embrace The Presents of Presence each and everyday!

Join me…let’s keep the Holiday Spirit glowing!

Keep Twinkling and Shine On!

xo

In my search for a good  follow up to yesterday’s post, I checked out the newest cards to find one as my inspiration.  You may not know that most of the images that I feature in my blog are actual cards from my business which I use to springboard my blog post ~ hopefully bringing to you, a bit of inspiration.  If the picture/card is not from the card catalog, then it’s one that I made in about 5 minutes from my own photo and the templates/elements of the free system.  If you want to try it for yourself, you can click below…

http://www.rememberchristmas.com/deanery

Got Christmas Spirit for me?

It’s December 2nd and I’m having a tough time getting into the holiday spirit this year which is so very unlike me!  I am the gal who begins decorating the minute we leave my inlaws house after Thanksgiving dinner!  My enthusiasm begins immediately as I scurry to the basement to begin to bring up all of the holiday paraphernalia ~ an old Santa hat on my head, dancing around, singing off-key Christmas tunes by myself, in utter glee that my favorite season has finally begun!  My family is used to me doing this and the boys/hubby just laugh because they know my joy knows no bounds when it comes to Christmas.

For I STILL BELIEVE!

But this year, it’s different and I’m not sure the reason for it…but I will say, that I don’t like it!  Perhaps it’s the sadness that envelopes my family occasionally, knowing that this will be our first Christmas without my Dad.  Perhaps it’s having endured 3 surgeries thus far this year and in anticipation of my next one on December 10th ~ knowing that I’ll be laid up until almost Christmas Eve.  Perhaps it’s because our church now sings these new holiday songs which nobody knows and not the tried and true beautiful hymns of my memories during Advent.  Perhaps it’s the overload of dealing with the mountains of paperwork and extra responsibility required of me as Executor to Dad’s estate and now taking care of Mom’s affairs as well.  Perhaps it’s just me.

I guess it’s another lesson in my life ~ getting a glimpse into the world of those who don’t carry the Christmas Spirit in their hearts.  For whatever reason, there are people who don’t find the twinkling of lights, the generosity of spirit and the beauty of a loving heart contagious.  It’s not about religion either, as for me, I embrace the holiday spirit no matter if you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or any other Holiday as long as you do it with a sprinkling of the Spirit of Love!

I’m trying to conjure up my usual enthusiasm…

I’ve watched a few Christmas specials on tv ~ ELF, Eloise at Christmastime (I’m her in my head as a child, but not in reality!), and even put the dvd of Polar Express on!  I’ve got my favorite Fresh Balsam candle burning to make my house smell like my favorite live Christmas tree (which always puts me in the mood).  I’ve had Christmas Carols playing on the radio, I’ve put out a few of the elves and Christmas red and greens, but my spirits haven’t come up yet.

This situation plagues me as even when I was diagnosed with cancer, I still had the Christmas Spirit ~ and I was diagnosed on New Year’s Eve, having endured a biopsy which I was assured wasn’t cancer on December 26th, right after I hosted our entire family to Christmas dinner…which I remember, I LOVED because it was our whole family together, smiling, laughing and exchanging thoughtful gifts.  It’s the magic in Christmas which I adore…the magic of giving, of receiving and of actually feeling the love in the air!  It’s Holiday Spirit ~ when everyone is on their good behavior so that Santa doesn’t think you are naughty!

I’m usually the one who enjoys helping you ~ but perhaps you can help me today. 

Surely I’ll find my holiday spirit soon, but in the meantime, please tell me about yours! 

Like Auntie Mame, I need a little Christmas now…

Shine On and Enjoy!

xoxo