{"id":1038,"date":"2018-12-14T01:39:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T01:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=1038"},"modified":"2020-11-29T19:31:28","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T19:31:28","slug":"making-holidays-meaningful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2018\/12\/making-holidays-meaningful.html","title":{"rendered":"Making the Holidays Meaningful"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"holidays\"<\/a>
Photo by Any Lane from Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For many of us, the holidays are disappointing.\u00a0 They are neither magical nor meaningful time. I find that to be incredibly sad.\u00a0 In my opinion, regardless of whether you are Christian, Jewish or atheist, this time of year should be special.<\/p>\n

For me, the disappointment of the holidays started when I was a kid. When I was growing up, every kid on my street was so excited for the arrival of Santa Claus \u2013 except me.\u00a0 My parents were academics, and evidently the idea of Santa offended their intellectual sensibilities.\u00a0 As a result, at an early age I was informed that \u201cThere is no Santa Claus!\u201d\u00a0 Wow.<\/p>\n

So, as a child, I never experienced the magic of Christmas. I never experienced the excitement of wondering if Santa would come or how the reindeer would land on our roof.\u00a0 I never experienced that child-like wonder, which is the great part of being a kid.<\/p>\n

As a result, when I became an adult and had a child of my own, I bent over backwards to make my daughter\u2019s childhood \u201cmagical.\u201d Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy all came to our house.\u00a0 The holidays were incredibly fun because I went to great lengths to create a world for my daughter in which a man came down our chimney and brought her elaborate presents.\u00a0 She grew up believing that there was a bunny who would hide eggs and presents all over the yard every Easter.\u00a0 The Tooth Fairy always brought her books and toys whenever a tooth was lost.\u00a0 And it wasn\u2019t until she was well along in years before she figured out my rouse.\u00a0 But for a time, there was magic in her world \u2013 and in mine.<\/p>\n

Now my daughter is a teenager, and the magical years are over. So, until I have grandchildren (which is a long way off!), I have no little kids in my life.\u00a0 As a result, each year I now try to figure out ways to make the holidays meaningful<\/em>, since they are no longer magical<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Below are some ways that I\u2019ve found to make the holidays a little bit more meaningful. If you apply them in your own life, you can have a holiday season that is both emotionally and spiritually satisfying.<\/p>\n

Just Say \u201cNo\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The holidays quickly can devolve into a pile of obligations.\u00a0 It is overwhelming to feel obliged to buy a gift for every last person that you or your child has crossed paths with over the year.\u00a0 Then, there are the parties, school concerts and (if you are a Christian) church events.\u00a0 It is endless.\u00a0 So, at a certain point, you have to say \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

I will freely admit that there are a jillion people, from my hairdresser to my next-door neighbor who all deserve a present from me this year. But there is only one of me.\u00a0 So, at some point, I will pick and choose to whom I am going to give gifts.\u00a0 And unfortunately, not everyone is going to get one.<\/p>\n

I also have to say \u201cno\u201d to attending the endless events involved in the holidays. I whittle down the holiday events that I attend to the ones that I \u201chave to\u201d attend (my daughter\u2019s school concerts and church services), and ones that will be spiritually satisfying to me in some way (seeing close friends).<\/p>\n

Saying \u201cno\u201d is the only way to keep your sanity during this season and to have the time to do things that have meaning to you.<\/p>\n

Make the Holidays Meaningful by Reading Something Inspirational<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The activity of reading is unique because it forces us to stop everything and just sit.\u00a0 You can listen to music and drive.\u00a0 You can cook, knit or do crossword puzzles and watch television.\u00a0 But when you read, you can\u2019t do anything else.\u00a0 You just have to sit down, stop everything\u00a0you are doing\u00a0and focus on one thing.\u00a0 That is why reading is incredibly good for your sanity during the holidays, when life pulls us in too many directions at once.<\/p>\n

But to make your reading time valuable, choose to read something inspirational. Choose to read a story about someone who overcomes an obstacle.\u00a0 Read something spiritually uplifting.\u00a0\u00a0 Fill your mind during the holidays with positive, good thoughts.<\/p>\n

Do Something Unexpectedly Nice for Another Person<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Christmas is a holiday full of obligations.\u00a0 We are obliged to buy gifts for people because they are related to us, or because they teach our children, or because they deliver our mail.\u00a0 There is nothing wrong with that, but those are gifts that we buy out of obligation.<\/p>\n

It helps to make Christmas meaningful by doing something for someone not out of obligation, but out of inspiration. Think of someone who has had a tough year and could use a little pick-me-up, and do something for that person.\u00a0 The point isn\u2019t the cost of the gift.\u00a0 The point is to show another human being that you care about them.<\/p>\n

For instance, give a busy mom a Starbuck\u2019s gift card that she can use after she drops her kids off at school. Or maybe give a struggling teenager an inspiring book.\u00a0 Or give an elderly person a box of chocolates.<\/p>\n

The point isn\u2019t the gift itself.\u00a0 Rather what is important is the fact that you did something thoughtful to show that you care about another person. When we give in that manner, that is when we really feel the spirit of the holidays.\u00a0 We then are giving because we want to show our love for others.\u00a0 And they in turn know that they are special to us.<\/p>\n

This holiday season, join me in making the holidays something meaningful. There is a great deal of beauty this time of year.\u00a0 The lights, scents, music and stories are just gorgeous.\u00a0 Enjoy it all.\u00a0 And perhaps you may not just have a meaningful Christmas, but a magical one as well.\u00a0 (To read about how to thrive (and not just survive) the holidays, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Email: meerabelle@meerabelledey.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

To receive my Free E-Book, “The Confidence Course,” and my weekly newsletter, visit meerabelledey.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many of us, the holidays are disappointing.\u00a0 They are neither magical nor meaningful time. I find that to be incredibly sad.\u00a0 In my opinion, regardless of whether you are Christian, Jewish or atheist, this time of year should be special. For me, the disappointment of the holidays started when I was a kid. When…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMaking the Holidays Meaningful - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about ways to make the holidays more meaningful. 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