With Christmas right around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the holiday season differs from the rest of the year. As a child, I loved the holidays. To me, there was something magical about Christmas lights on houses, ornaments covering a tree, and presents scattered over the floor. There wasn’t anything about Christmas that I didn’t like. It was a happy time. As a child, I also I vowed to always make time to appreciate Christmas.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve watched that joy dwindle. Now, I feel that I see Christmas as it truly is and it’s stressful. You know what I’m talking about: traffic, greediness, and pressure fill the air. Christmas as an adult feels like holding a beautifully wrapped package then opening it up to find the box is completely empty. To me, that’s what this holiday has become: --completely empty. Please understand that I am not trying to be a downer. That is actually the opposite of how I try to live my life. But sometimes reflection is not filled with positivity and that’s OK. Now that I see what I don’t like about this time of year, it makes it easier for me to help in any way that I can.

Let me give you an example. About a week ago, I was standing in line for a coffee to give me a little energy before I started Christmas shopping. I wasn’t in any big hurry because, hello, it’s Christmas shopping and that’s going to take time. You need to prepare yourself before you walk out of your front door. I watched the barista get screamed at because they were out of large lids. If you don’t understand how ridiculous that is, please go back and read the sentence again. The customer had an extremely colorful vocabulary that he made sure to use before walking away. When I stepped up to the counter a few minutes later, the barista was still completely shaken up. It’s a sad world when you can scream at someone then blame it on “Christmas stress.” That is only one of many stories like this I've witnessed this year.

What’s that song about how wonderful this time of the year is? Oh yeah, it’s called “the most wonderful time of the year.” Perhaps in this day and age, it's "the most wonderful time of the year” as long as everyone bows down to your every command and gets you expensive gifts. If that’s the truth, yikes.

It’s unrealistic to think that everyone is going to be friendly during this time of the year (or ever), but please remember that holidays are meant to be cherished. I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, because I’m not you’re mother and, quite frankly, you’re old enough to make the decision to be decent on your own. What I am going to do is challenge you to choose your words carefully and smile at others. If you’re in a really good mood, talk to a stranger. (I know, it’s a crazy idea.)

This time of year can be a tough time on everyone, yourself included, but it can also be extremely memorable. It all comes back to the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Start there and see how much your holidays change.

Merry Christmas!