Terrorism, shootings, senseless violence, disease. There’s no lack of bad news in today’s world and unfortunately, you don’t have to look far to find another tale of death and destruction.
Though not nearly as severe, our overwhelming day-to-day duties can turn even the jolliest person into a Grinch. There are bills to pay, kids to carpool, dinners to prepare and a never-ending list of errands to run. Cars break down, meals get burnt and more often than we’d like, things don’t go the way we planned.
But that’s where the holiday season comes in. Suddenly, simple things become special again. Things like baking cookies and spending time with family overshadow the problems of everyday life. Even sending out handwritten season’s greetings cards to loved ones and driving around Oyster Bay to appreciate your neighbors’ decorations make this time of the year magical. Instead of focusing on all the things going wrong in our lives, it’s a time to stop and think about what’s going right.
People are typically more charitable around the end of the year. Why is that? It’s because people usually change their perspective. For 11 months of the year, it’s easy to get caught up in those first-world problems. But in December, we slow down—and wake up to the needs of those around us—and realize just how good we have it. In response, we give our money, resources, efforts and time.
While we should never turn a blind eye to the atrocities in our community, the nation or the world, let’s allow ourselves to get caught up and swept away with the holiday spirit, instead of focusing on the little inconveniences in our relatively comfortable lives. Hopefully, those feelings of happiness, gratitude, generosity and love can last a little longer than our New Year’s resolutions.
Betsy Abraham
