Life after the Holidays

The holidays are no doubt my favorite time of year. I love the kindness and warmth and that people genuinely want to do good to others. This doesn’t have to stay in November and December. We have come up with a few ways to keep that magical holiday spirit alive throughout the rest of the year. 

Don’t forget about your neighbors.

Goodwill toward mankind is in the air during the holidays. Giving is just part of the season, but as the food comas wear off and the gifts settle in, we get back to our busy lives. In some cases we start focusing on our careers again, or getting back to the gym. It’s (sadly) very easy to forget about those people you were so kind to. Not to say that you are now unkind, but we tend to start diverting our attention and efforts back on ourselves. 

Making an effort to remember the people around us will make a difference. My granddaughter, though young loves to donate her toys because she wants other kiddos to have toys too. Ultimately, service to others is really the bigger picture and here are some ways to do so:

-Volunteer at a local charity

-donate used clothes or extras to people in need

-take the kids to talk with seniors in convalescent centers. 

-make up care packages to send to troops overseas 

-care packages for chemo patients

-be a cuddler at your local hospital’s NICU

-donate your time or extra clothes/food to our struggling veterans 

Make Family Activities a priority

The amount of time we spend with family during the holidays is incredible. But why do we let it stop once we turn another page on the calendar? I personally believe that family is special and something to protect and cultivate. And this year I don’t intend on letting the family time slow down nearly as much. Just think about it, even getting together once a month is far better than being a Christmas/Thanksgiving gathering type of family. I’m guilty of it too, but small efforts go a long way. 

-We have implemented friday night family pizza. We get together with the kids and grand-kids, have some pizza, some wine and catch up. It doesn’t always workout every week but its starting to become a recurring thing. 

-Be present with each other, not just in the same room. Really interact and find out about their day etc. 

Keep Celebrating!

Few holidays have the same warmth and widespread kindness as Christmas, but you don’t have to let those sentiments fade away when the lights come down. Maybe you can start making other holidays a big deal (if you don’t already). Here are a few that I think can be made in to holidays of service to others as well:

-Epiphany, celebration of the 3 kings presenting baby Jesus with the gifts

-Chinese New Year!

-National Freedom Day- the 13th ammendment was signed to abolish slavery.

-Holi! because who doesnt love color

-March Equinox- Welcoming in spring

Hope you were inspired by our post and thought of a few ways to keep the spirit alive in your family. Happy New Year!

Let’s Make Awesome Happen!

Team Tindall