Holiday Winds Are Blowing

The holiday winds have started to rise and with them comes a great whirlwind of activity that will reach tornadic levels by the time Christmas gets here.

Most of us love the holidays and we like a little chaos as well but it can easily get out of hand and leave us wondering where the days went, feeling let down a little and feeling like we missed something.

When I was a kid my Dad valued his quiet time. He had some outdated (or were they?) rules about certain times and days for quiet activity. We knew when we could talk, be loud and crazy and we knew when to settle down to do something quiet or reflective. During those quiet times, I read, I learned to draw and paint, and I wrote in a journal.

Sometimes Dad took us out to look at the night sky and although we talked and asked questions at those times, we mostly just stared in wonder at the vastness of the sky and all the stars in it.

What does that have to do with the holidays you may ask? Well plenty actually, because it is a good time to teach our children (and ourselves) to stop and take time to reflect; reflect on the birth of Christ and reflect on what character traits to encourage in our children and grandchildren in the days ahead.

Also, it's good to remember to give yourself time to just breathe and be thankful for what you have and not stress about what you do not have or what you think the kids need to have or what entertaining you think you need to do.

Be thankful at Thanksgiving and be joyful at Christmas; most of all teach yourself and your children to slow down and have some quiet times. Life is not supposed to be an endless series of tornadoes. Take time to enjoy the calm weather too.