The holiday season is upon us.  Actually, it’s been here for a little while.  But, if you are anything like me, it may have crept up on you.  And now, here we are.

The holidays mean different things to different people, but here are some universally helpful ideas to make the next few weeks happy, healthy, and hopefully meaningful.

Experiences over stuff.  Research continues to show that people who invest in experiences are far happier for longer than people who invest in material.  This goes for gift giving as well – investing in time together or opportunities to experience new things will result in a more meaningful and happier outcome than the ‘stuff’ we sometimes purchase at the last minute.

Embrace the dysfunction.  No family is perfect.  And if you are spending time with people you only see a few times each year, this becomes a little more obvious.  But that’s alright.  We’re all a little broken in some way, and we all have a bit of dysfunction in our families.  Learn to embrace it rather than trying to change it.  The only person you can change is you.  And your attitude is one of the easiest things you can change – adopt a positive and fun attitude can change everything at your next dysfunctional family gathering.

Take some time off.  I’ll admit, I’m terrible at this.  Each year I say I’m going, and then I end up scheduling a few meetings, and those turn into a few more, and by the time I get to the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I’m booked.  So this year, I’m going to give it a try, and I want to encourage you to do the same.  Take some time if you can, disconnect from work, enjoy time with family, or maybe just relax so that you can go into next year refreshed and ready to conquer those new resolutions.

Moderation.  If your New Year’s resolution has something to do with losing weight, improving fitness, or working on your physical health, going into 2022 with 15 extra pounds from all those Christmas cookies isn’t going to help.  Dehydrating yourself because you drank to much holiday punch won’t leave you feeling like you want to go sweat.  So enjoy yourself, but maybe have a plan for pushing away before you have to open up your belt a notch.

And finally, if you’re struggling or down during this time of year, check out Dr. D. and Rabbi B. talking about The Holidays; a Light in the Darkness, on The Meaning Project Podcast

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I hope you have an awesome and meaningful new year!  – Dan