Christmas is coming.  Are you excited by the coming season or are you alrerady saying, “Bah humbug”?   We’re not ”Virginias” anymore.  The coming of the holiday season for us adults can  become a season of high stress.  How does one enjoy the season when “Bah” is on the tip of the tongue? 

     Remember why we celebrate in November and December.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukuh, hold the reasons; not supporting your local economy by shop, shop, shopping.    Concentrate on having a few special moments with family, or others you love, or others for whom you care. Concentrate on giving to others in ways that use your love, your caring, your sense of humor.  Try sharing memories with others about whom you care and making new memories–good ones– with them.  Sound like a plan?

    So how do we hold onto that perspective of caring and giving?  Lets not fall into our usual habits where suddenly we realize the holidays are over and we are asking, “Did we enjoy any of that?” Make sharing and giving a priority.  If you use a calendar for daily commitments then put on that calendar each of the next few weeks a specific time slot for giving and sharing.  For example, set aside an hour on Tuesday to go to the homeless shelter and make a donation.  Take a friend along.  That’s giving and sharing.  Set aside an evening on your calendar for cookie baking and an hour on the calendar for the next day to take those cookies to someone who could use a lift.  Call your place of worship and ask to  be signed up for some giving activity that needs participants. Plan activities ahead and put them on your calendar. For each week.  Do it now or the holidays will be past and you’ll be wondering if you made a difference to anyone. 

      Set aside the time now on your calendar and write it down in ink, not pencil.  It is not okay to cancel it later and say “I’ll get to it later.”  Unless you want to wake up January first with regrets.  When we concentrate on giving and sharing of ourselves, then we are less inclined to think “Bah humbug.”  When we concentrate on giving and sharing of ourselves with others, there’s no humbug left.