{"id":382,"date":"2016-11-23T15:31:01","date_gmt":"2016-11-23T15:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=382"},"modified":"2016-12-08T16:16:41","modified_gmt":"2016-12-08T16:16:41","slug":"feeding-soul-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/11\/feeding-soul-holidays.html","title":{"rendered":"Feeding Your Soul During the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pexels-photo-228799<\/a>Once you become an adult, the holidays are challenging. You may be alone and missing the company of family and friends.\u00a0 Or perhaps you are having to entertain too many people.\u00a0 Some of us feel overwhelmed by the amount of cooking and shopping there is to do.\u00a0 And for many, the expense of the holidays is stressful.\u00a0 So, by the end, a lot of us are just happy that we survived Thanksgiving and Christmas.<\/p>\n

That is why at a certain point, the holidays need to stop being about merely food and presents. Don\u2019t get me wrong.\u00a0 Food and presents are important.\u00a0 Feeding people is one way that we take care of them.\u00a0 And giving presents is an important way to show people that they are special to us.\u00a0 But if we make the holidays solely about food and gift giving, it feels hollow.<\/p>\n

During this season, we need to do things to feed our souls. Those things will be different for each of us.\u00a0 For some people, it helps\u00a0to \u201cput Christ back into Christmas,\u201d as the saying goes.\u00a0 One way to do that is to spend the month of December reading and reflecting on the four gospels.\u00a0 Others might enjoy reading something thought-provoking, like Harold Kushner\u2019s classic book, \u201cWhy Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?\u201d\u00a0 Or you might spend the holidays listening to Bach’s organ works or enjoying traditional fare like Handel\u2019s Messiah.\u00a0 The options for soul-nourishing activities are vast.<\/p>\n

What is critical is that we affirmatively choose how we will spend our time during the holidays. Otherwise other people will choose for us.\u00a0 And then we will end this beautiful season simply being relieved that it is over.<\/p>\n

The holiday season admittedly has \u201cbuilt-in\u201d irritations. The commercials are noisy and some of the music is crass.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t shop online, you are interacting with people in the stores who are tired and frustrated.\u00a0 For some of those people, trying to make ends meet during the holidays is no small matter, so their stress is understandable.<\/p>\n

The key is to eliminate as many of the holiday irritations as possible. Turn off the television so that you don\u2019t have to hear the commercials.\u00a0 Instead read a good book.\u00a0 When in the car or at home, turn off the radio.\u00a0 You may as well listen to your own CDs instead of being subjected to the poor musical taste of some of the radio stations.\u00a0 And do as much shopping as you can online.\u00a0 In this day and age, there really is no need to ever go to the mall.<\/p>\n

Then focus on making this season meaningful. Send a Christmas card in which you thank someone for the impact that he or she has had on your life.\u00a0 Give gifts that don\u2019t just have a hefty price tag, but that have sentimental value.\u00a0 Read books with a positive message.\u00a0 Listen to inspiring music.\u00a0 Go to religious services to connect with God.\u00a0 Pray daily.<\/p>\n

You have the ability to make this holiday season something beautiful. You just have to decide in advance how you want to spend it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let the world dictate how you will spend your holidays.\u00a0 Instead, create a plan to make the holidays meaningful for you.\u00a0 Use this very special time of the year to feed your soul.<\/p>\n

(Photo courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once you become an adult, the holidays are challenging. You may be alone and missing the company of family and friends.\u00a0 Or perhaps you are having to entertain too many people.\u00a0 Some of us feel overwhelmed by the amount of cooking and shopping there is to do.\u00a0 And for many, the expense of the holidays…<\/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":[13],"class_list":["post-382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-holidays"],"yoast_head":"\nFeeding Your Soul During the Holidays - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/11\/feeding-soul-holidays.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Feeding Your Soul During the Holidays - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once you become an adult, the holidays are challenging. 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