Every December I let the hustle and bustle of the holiday season steal my joy. Not this year! I am celebrating Christmas every day with a new idea. This idea is to reconnect with someone.

I am amazed at how easy it is to find someone and reconnect with people through the Internet, especially through a social network like Facebook. I’ve connected with people from jobs twenty years ago and people I have liked and have met along life’s path but lost that connection through various moves and life changes. It’s been really fun.

The holiday season is a time for love and joy. This is the perfect time of year to reconnect because of this positive energy.

The holiday season is also a time for sorrow for many. Our losses tend to hit us the hardest at Christmas when friends and loved ones are missing from our lives due to a death, a shattered relationship or other circumstances.

Many times we may be thinking about someone, but we don’t know what to say. So we do the worst thing possible. We say nothing. Saying nothing makes that person feel alone and forgotten. We add to their grief. Continue reading →

Wow! I can’t believe it’s already the 14th of December. I always let the hustle and bustle of the season steal my joy. Not this year! I have been blogging every day to celebrate the season with a new idea. This idea is to bring some sort of Christmas decoration to your office to keep work from zapping your joy.

I have a little, artificial Christmas tree that stands about two feet tall that I have decorated with lights and ornaments in my office.  It sits directly across from my desk on the credenza so that I can look at it while I’m working.

Bring some simple Christmas decoration to your office to remind you that this time of year isn’t business as usual. Use that object as a reference point to focus on the meaning of Christmas – love, joy, peace and goodwill towards others. Send co-workers a positive message and help create peace on earth. Who couldn’t use a little more peace and goodwill in the workplace!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

Every December I let the hustle and bustle steal my joy. Not this year! I’m celebrating Christmas every day with a new Christmas idea. This is the 12th day and I’m talking about making or buying a favorite treat from childhood.

My mom is a great cook and a great pastry maker. Every year at Christmas she would make lavish trays of exotic cookies and cakes. I used to love her pie crusts. The crust was solid like shortbread with a little hint of sweetness.

 I asked her for the pie crust recipe to make a pumpkin pie. As a kid, I was always into eating the dough of everything, cookie dough, cake batter, and her pie crust dough.

I followed her recipe and decided to give the pie dough a taste. When I put that little marble size piece of dough into my mouth I was immediately transported back to my mom’s kitchen surrounded by tons of goodies. That little taste made me feel just like I was five years old again.

Think back to your childhood and make or buy a favorite treat that you used to love. Allow yourself to feel childlike again when life was simple and uncomplicated. What treats did you used to love as a child?   

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

This is Christmas idea number 11 in my countdown to Christmas. At the beginning of the month I was determined not to let the hustle and bustle steal my joy. It’s working! I am celebrating Christmas every day with a new idea.

Today we are driving to Kansas City to see Tom Jacob’s annual holiday concert this evening. Tom lost his voice last week and the concert was moved back a week. It’s really a lovely event. I wrote more about that on December 4th.

The rescheduling made for an interesting weekend. We will be getting up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to make it back in time for my choir’s dress rehearsal of Handel’s Messiah at 10:00am.  Our concert is Sunday at 4:00pm. Like many other musicians, our choir has put in months of practice for this one event.

If you’ve never thought about it, musicians put their hearts, time and effort in creating music. It is their gift of expression to the world. Without an audience, they are just playing for themselves. Gifts are meant to be given away. So, let a musician give you their gift of music and support them by attending a Christmas music or holiday music concert.

You might not have thought of attending a concert as a gift.  The bonus is that you will also receive big time because music can transport your soul to a beautiful place.  There are a variety of Christmas and holiday concerts to choose from. Just get on your computer and do some searches in your area for concerts.

If you live in St. Louis, we have two great and different musical offerings: First Presbyterian Church Kirkwood performs Handel’s Messiah with Orchestra on Sunday, December 12 at 4:00PM. 100 East Adams Avenue in Kirkwood – 314-965-0326.  And The Advent Coffeehouse – Sunday, December 20 at 4:00pm. Local artist, Dan Rubright will give a family concert blending jazz, folk, and pop music. They will perform songs from Dan’s latest CD, “Christmas Cafe.” Karen Blanchard will offer Christmas poetry, and Lynn Rubright will tell a favorite Christmas story.

For more details, check out the Kirkwood Pres. website http://www.kirkwoodpres.org/news/

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6