Don’t lose the Thanksgiving Gratitude in the Minutiae of Holiday Preparations

I have to tell myself this all the time. And how lucky I am to have the problems I have.

The Grinch: Too often Grinch-y feelings rear their ugly head and take over my thoughts. Instead of rejoicing that I have such a wonderful, big family, I agonize over spending $$$ to get them Christmas presents. Sound familiar? I know they would be happy with any little thing they would find under the tree. But the love language of some members of my family is gifts, so thoughtfulness is very important — a stressor all its own.

Peace on Earth: It’s nothing new to read a piece on the true meaning of this holiday time. Of course we should focus on empathy and love for our neighbor, and all of mankind.

And what happened to all that gratitude we heard so much about at Thanksgiving?

But the devil is in the details.

Life Hack: Focusing on the salesperson on the other side of my transactions rebounds me to good humor. Sure, everyone who works in retail and the other service industries knows they are going to be exceptionally busy at this time of year.

Focusing on the person standing in front of me, trying to do their job, has helped me keep my temper, and actually resulted in lifting my spirits.

Smile: You’ll probably see my RBF stomping through stores and my daily chores. Watch the magical transformation as I get over myself and thank the person on the other side of my crabby face. Maybe they just sigh with relief that helping me wasn’t as bad as it looked like it would be, but I walk away empathetic to someone else’s plight and hopeful that I have brightened their day, even just a skosh.

Don’t deck the Halls: Spread some holiday cheer!