Welcome Wisdom

Holiday Cheer

by Jacqueline Ramsay, ECM Part-time Care Manager

The holiday season has arrived filled with so many good things. There are visits with family and friends, holiday parties, religious services and unique outings like seeing houses decorated with lights. There are special foods and sweets in abundance. Can a good thing be too much? Can it make our lives more stressed? How do we enjoy this holiday season and not get off balance? Here are some ideas that come to mind-

Moderation. Everyone has a different capacity for holiday cheer. Some of us don’t want to gain weight from the extra food and sweets but we know that we will not do that extra work out that we promised ourselves we would do (we probably won’t do it in January either!). With that said, try eating smartly. Eat a healthy small meal before you go to the party. Drink a glass of water or two as well. Make sure that the treats don’t turn in to the main course.

Meditation. Stop during this holiday season and reflect on the good things around you. Get up early and watch the sun rise-or if that is not your style-watch it set. It can get easy getting caught up in the “doing” and we forget who we are doing it for and why. Pause and find a quiet space, carve out time to refocus and rejuvenate. Make it a practice during the holidays and you may find you have a ritual for the new year.

Empathy. People see things in different ways. How we do things, why we do them-all familiar to us but perhaps not to others. We may not see eye to eye with everyone, but a bit of listening and respect can go a long way. A wise man once said, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger”.

Let us not forget those who are less fortunate than us and those who are going through hard and difficult times. Perhaps a loved one has passed, or an illness or job loss has occurred. May we greet everyone with kindness and compassion and remember those who we cannot see. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and a most blessed New Year to all.