Say Good-bye to the “Bah-Humbug”!

Ah, yes, the most wonderful time of the year has quickly made its way here again! While it may only be November 2, many of you have already started your Christmas shopping and maybe even started playing the Christmas music! As for me, I am beginning to stress out at the thought of them!!

For some of you, the holidays are a whirlwind of tree decorating, gift giving, carol singing, cookie eating, and watching “It's a Wonderful Life” while sipping eggnog by the fire and cuddling with your loved ones. For others, the holidays are an omen of doom. We cradle our maxed-out credit cards in fear, stock up on meds, and pray no one will notice the ten pounds that we gained. We make our way through department stores and try to stay clear of the clawing stampede desperate to plunder them. We spend hours traveling and sitting in traffic to be with the people we've spent a big part of our year avoiding, and when we reach our final destination, we inevitably overeat, give out presents we can't afford, have nervous breakdowns in locked bathrooms, and then plan our early escape.

I wish I could give you ten easy steps to survive the holidays, but truth is we’re all different. My steps of survival may not quite match up to how you do things. What I can give you are things to remember as we dive into another crazy season:

Remember the Child Within. Find ways to have fun again! Make hot chocolate with marshmallows and sing Christmas carols. Think back to your favorite holiday or childhood moments and go for it. Play games with your children or spend a morning watching cartoons.

Remember to watch the Dollar Signs. It's a tempting time of year to go overboard. Remember to budget! You don't want to spend the next ten years paying everything off!

Remember the reason for giving – The holiday season is about love, laughter, family and friends. Holidays aren’t about the most number of gifts given, the prettiest wrapping paper, or the most number of cookies consumed. It’s about telling your loved ones that you love and appreciate them.

Remember to Reach Out. Step outside of yourself and look around you for others who are in need. Lending a helping hand could have an awesome impact on your holiday season.

Remember Tomorrow. Remember, if all else fails, this will soon be in the past :)!

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason we celebrate this season!  

Luke 2:10-11 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”