Christmas Presents

"The magi, as you know, were wise men - wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents." -Unknown

People are out and about, buying those last presents for those that are special in their lives. The buying frenzy will come to an end early in the evening of December 24th. The gifts will be wrapped in wonderful colors of paper. The bows will be tied with care. And the Christmas tree will seem to float on top of so many presents.

The gifts we give each year are thought out and well intentioned. That sweater or tie for Dad which looked so perfect in the store. Maybe it is perfume or jewelry that Mom is sure to wear once or twice. A train set for your son or a doll house for your daughter will brighten their eyes on Christmas morning.

But the gifts you can give each and everyday are within you as well. A simple kiss for your wife in the morning. Encouraging words to your children each day. The smile you give to people passing by. All of these things hold the idea of Christmas in their giving to another.

As this Christmas week proceeds, try a new habit of giving from the heart just a little more. Before you know it, the gifts will flow from you each and everyday. And as these gifts flow from your heart, they will be re-gifted to you along the way.

Have a happy holiday week to all my friends. To those that celebrate the religious significance of Christmas, a very merry and blessed holiday to you. It is a joyous end to another great year of life.

Christmas Life

"The ripple of a stone dropped in the water creates a wave which washes a sea shell upon the shore that brightens a childs day when found." -Joseph Primm

I have this Christmas wish that fills my head lately. It isn't the old traditional, good will and peace towards all men. There are plenty of people wishing that each and every year. It isn't the "chicken in every pot and a car in every garage", while that would be a great thing it isn't my wish.

There are many things we can and do wish for during this time of year. My wish falls more into wanting people to understand how important they each are individually. There are so many people that get the idea that they have no purpose or meaning to life. A life that would not matter to the greater events of life around them.

One could call this my revelation wish of "Its A Wonderful Life", that 1946 film by Frank Capra. It remains one of my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season. The idea that your life would have meant nothing had it never occurred is furthest from reality. We have an impact throughout our life whether we realize it or not. The pebble dropped in the water seems insignificant, but the results are tremendous.

There is the idea called the 'Butterfly Effect' that has a part in all of this. A butterfly flapping its wings contributes to the conditions that can create a tornado, a gust of wind or other weather conditions. It seems so small and insignificant, but the flapping of its wings remains a piece to something greater that happens.

The same can be said for each of our lives. Without one of us, many things get altered, many things never happen. And when you take your life and try to diminish it to something meaningless, then you are diminishing the lives of others. You are important to what happens around you. You are important to life and the impact is has on others.

You may not realize it, but the ripple of a stone dropped in the water creates a wave which washes a sea shell upon the shore that brightens a childs day when found. That child is filled with excitement and wonderment. The child is spurred to discover more about the ocean, becoming a famous marine biologist such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

During this Christmas, my wish is for each of you, my family, siblings and anyone that questions themselves. You are important to those you may not know, you are important to those you do know. You are important to this 'wonderful life'.

Christmas Party

"There is a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmastime. Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drink alcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them." -P.J. O'Rourke

Wow, the bright and colorful lights strung from house to house, down numerous city streets and across all of earth. The world becomes a cheerful and wonderful site with all of the decorations this time of year.

We spend more money then we have, we smile more often then other times and we get a generally good feeling. We may tire of the many parties but we attend each of them and celebrate with family and friends.

The food just seems tastier and more enjoyable. The eggnog flows as do the spirits. We tend to overindulge and blame it on the season. We gain weight from the food and we drive after too much alcohol. The roads become a danger to others with the increased number of drunk drivers on the road. People lose their lives before they can see the new year. The joy and happiness gets replaced by sorrow and pain from the loss of a loved one.

There will likely be close to 37,000 traffic deaths this holiday season in the United States alone. Of which 37% of them or 13,690 will be alcohol related. The numbers have been decreasing with awareness, but so many remain avoidable. Even with this steady decline in fatalities, the number of drivers with drunk driving arrests is on the rise.

It is estimated that there are as many as two million drunk drivers with three or more convictions and more than 400,000 with five or more drunk driving convictions still behind the wheel.

Here are steps drivers can take to help avoid becoming a statistic:

1. If they drink, they shouldn’t drive no matter how little they think they’ve had.
2. Don’t let someone get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking.
3. Avoid driving during early and late evening hours on holidays.

The Christmas parties at work and the celebrations at the home of friends will be a joyous occasion each and every time. With care, moderation and common sense there will be many more years of celebrating each of us can have.

Enjoy the holiday season, be of good cheer and spread happiness wherever you go. The time we have gives us an opportunity to make it a little better not only for ourselves, but for those around us.

Christmas Love

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action." -Mother Teresa

The scene of a perfect Christmas made even more special by a Currier & Ives painting. The view we want to have of a gentle snow outside and a warm nestling fire inside fills our mind. Crisply wrapped gifts glisten under the wonderfully decorated tree draws our eye. So many times we have searched for the idyllic setting.

The perfect Christmas setting from these pictures and advertisement is hardly attainable. The wind will likely be blowing outside and the cold will still seep inside. The level of Christmas we attain is not the gifts nor the picture perfect setting.

The level of Christmas we achieve is the love we attach to all that we do. At this time of the year we have a little more grace in our hearts. At this time of year we have a little more giving in our pocket books. At this time, we simply love more.