It’s almost here. Thanksgiving, with all the stress of hosting a dinner and dealing with annoying relatives. Which means that Christmas and all its stress (present shopping, decorating, more annoying relatives) is right around the corner.
Breathe.
Before all the lovely (and stressful!) chaos starts up, let’s all take a moment to remember what the holidays are all about: spending time with loved ones, celebrating life and love, and appreciating what we have.
Speaking of that last one…
Start your thankfulness list now (you’ll need it!)
It can be hard to really think of what you’re thankful for when you’re sitting at a big table surrounded by annoying relatives (can you tell what’s on my mind this year!), a dinner you spent the last several hours slaving over, and thoughts of everything you’re going to have to start doing once the pumpkin pie is eaten and everyone goes home. Which I why I think we could all stand to start coming up with our thankfulness lists now.
That way, we can go into Thanksgiving (and Christmas and New Year’s) with the right frame of mind. We can see more of the good and less of the stress, which is the way it should be. When things get crazy, we’ll already have all the beautiful things in our heads, so it will be easier to deal. And maybe, just maybe, dare to be merry.
I’ll get you started…
What I’m thankful for this year
Here are the things I’m going to go into the holidays thinking of:
- The Hubby.
- Big Dog and Little Dog.
- The big, loud, crazy family we’re lucky enough to have.
- Our little house (money pit repair and all).
- Cuddling up under warm fluffy blankets when the snow starts to fall.
- Shiny, twinkly things.
- Watching my little niece and nephew’s faces light up at the magic of the season us adults tend to forget too easily.
- Big, yummy meals full of homemade stuff.
- The ’Bee and the fact that it gets me places whenever I need it to.
- Scarves and mittens and fun winter boots.
- Christmas carols. The cheesier, the better!
OK, your turn!
What lovely things are you thankful for that you can keep top of mind as you head into the holiday season?
~Heart,
Em
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photo credit: Carmen Rodriguez
This holiday season I would like to thank God for blessing me with a bouncing baby boy, my dream job and appreciate Bobby my new pet. In disguise, I will also buy souvenirs to remember my grandmothers, both of whom I lost this year.