A CURE FOR THE HOLIDAY BLUES

There is one reason that I don’t like the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reason I don’t like them is that they remind those who lack family or money of that fact. It is the loneliest time of the year for many. No other time during the year affects people like this. Never fear, I have the answer for those that suffer from the holiday blues as well as bonus information on how to stop yourself from over spending at Christmas!

There is one reason that I don’t like the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reason I don’t like them is that they remind those who lack family or money of that fact. It is the loneliest time of the year for many. No other time during the year affects people like this. Never fear, I have the answer for those that suffer from the holiday blues as well as bonus information on how to stop yourself from over spending at Christmas!
First you have to understand, the marketing moguls of big business have ingrained into us, a naive nation, that we have to have lots of people and stuff and if you don’t have these things then you should feel bad, lonely etc.. The reason is simple. If they make you feel this way you will spend, spend SPEND to get rid of that feeling! Most of the retail business is built on a successful holiday season. Without out it many businesses will go out of business. The one sure way to get over this feeling is to recognize that the feelings are instilled in you by corporations set on a big bottom line. The second part of this is to be thankful for what you have.
Being thankful is not a one time thought or mindless prayer before dinner but a way of life that is built day by day. It is simple to do and doesn’t take much time. Here’s how it works. Make a list of all the things that you are thankful or should be thankful for and try to remember those things throughout the day. A very wise man once said “if you have your health, food on the table a roof over your head and clothes on your back you should be the most thankful person in the world.” So, if you have roof over your head, if you are healthy if you have food to eat and you have something to wear you should be thankful. It doesn’t matter if you have a 500 square foot apartment or a 5000 sq. ft. mansion it matters that you are protected from the elements and that you have a place to call home. It doesn’t matter if you eat steaks or if you eat meatloaf. It matters that you eat. Remember that the sense of having more and more isn’t from God it is from corporate America. It doesn’t matter if your clothes are Kmart or Calvin Klein it matters that you have something to wear and again protect you from the elements. Are you healthy? How healthy? We all have little aches and pains but if you are reading this then you are still breathing, be thankful, it beats the alternative.
Here is a generic list of some of the things that might apply to you. This is to get the thoughts flowing so that you can make your own list. Use the ones that do apply and add to it day by day. God, fresh air, puppies, kittens and pets, sisters, brothers, moms and dads, grandparents, starry nights, work so that we can eat and pay my bills, the car I drive, football, the bus that I take, green grassy parks, the smells of good cooking, the ability to help others, water, sun shine, health.
Do you get the idea? By keeping the things that you do have and that you are thankful for in mind then you forget the negatives of what you do not have. It is time for you to throw off the shackles put on you by thoughtless and unfeeling add campaigns and breath the fresh air of the truth.
The science behind this is that you can only think one thought at a time. The more you think good thoughts, in this case thankful thoughts, the less you will think unproductive thoughts. AND, the more you think these thoughts of thankfulness the easier it becomes to keep those in your mind.
The next thing to do is to help others. GIVE of yourself. This isn’t necessarily giving money (it could be) but it is giving of your time. When you start give to others your find that it will have positive side effects. The first is that you will find out that there are others that have less than you and need your help. You will be more thankful for what you have. It will give you a good feeling to help others and you will have less time to sit around thinking about what you don’t have or watching the very ads that caused you to be sad. Giving is, also, a principle from the Bible and is applied by all truly successful people.
I said it previously but I’ll say it again your paradigm for the holidays is wrong, especially when it comes to giving. Buying things does not bring happiness. When it comes to Christmas presents you should only buy what you can afford. I’ll say it again. When it comes to Christmas presents you should only buy what you can afford That means no credit card use. No taking necessary funds, like rent money, and blowing it on the wife or kids. Stop trying to buy the love of others with money. It is much better to learn to love and give them what they need day by day. The things that are most needful are love, understanding, and forgiveness. Teaching people how to live by being an example is far better than to load them down with gifts, that they usually have little use for.
If, this season, you practice thankfulness, give to others and live within your means you will find a freedom and a happiness that will last twelve months out of the year.