Wishing you an imperfect Holiday

My wish for you this Season is for things to be imperfect.
 And for you to be okay with it.

In fact, for you to  find joy in things not looking like the advertisements.
For you to be touched by people's misguided gifts.
I wish you might relax enough to be amused by your family interactions, not threatened or angry.

I wish that you could see how charmed the people who love you are by your imperfections.
That it's really okay that your life is a little messy, and you truly are doing the best you can at this moment.

Hidden under the pile of wrapping paper, the tangle of ribbons, the powdered sugar dust on the cookie plate,
tucked into the small moments of joy and satisfaction,
centered in the laughter and nostalgia, is what truly makes the season Merry and Bright:
Love for ourselves and our good wishes for others.

Wishing you Peace in your Heart.
And a Perfectly Imperfect Christmas.

Comfort and Joy

What gives you Comfort?  Who gives you Joy?
What gives you Joy? Who gives you Comfort?

Over the next week consider where you find Comfort and Joy in you life.

Is it time with friends?
A cup of tea and a gingerbread man?
Sharing your time and talents?
Laughing out loud with family?
Stockings hung by the chimney with care?

Spend time with the people and activities that truly mean something to you.

Feel Comforted.
Open up to Joy.

Give yourself the gift of paying attention to what moves your heart.

That's where you'll find the real magic of the Season.
And a glimpse of Peace on Earth.....

Presence, not presents.

This month seems to center around the giving of presents.
Take a moment and consider the gift of your presence.

Most mental clutter is a result of worrying about the past or planning for the future.
Our minds love to engage us with stories of what should have been, could have been, might be, and if only.

We fail to notice who and what is right in front of us.
We listen with half an ear, planning our next comment, or considering what's left on our to do list.

By taking a breath, pausing and paying attention to this moment, this person we are with, this gift we are wrapping,
the way the lights glow on the tree, the words to the carols, the taste of the cookie, the smell of the tea; we practice being present.
(It is a practice.  It needs a lifetime of repetition......)

This month give the gift of your presence.
Pay attention to this moment.
This conversation.
Pause in the rushing.
Feel connected.

Your presence is your most heartfelt gift.

The race is on!

The Holiday Marathon has begun.  

Shopping and  wrapping and baking and decorating and parties and pot lucks and gift exchanges and travel plans and traditions and, and, and.
Exhausting to think about and impossible to not feel like you're behind before you've even begun. 

If you've been engaged in the process of decluttering your life,
if you've made some much needed space in your home,
if you're trying to have a simpler more connected life,
then step away from the December More is better Madness.

Take a breath.
Decide who and what about the Season has meaning for you.
Concentrate on doing one or two things that warm your heart and reflect your kindest intentions.

Bake one kind of cookie.
Decorate just the tree.
Offer your regrets to the party hostess.
Give fewer gifts.  (Most people don't need another pig for their collection)
Turn off the television.
Sit quietly with just a candle burning.
Be grateful.  

It's only a race if you choose to run.
Walking will get you to the same destination,
with more time to enjoy the sights and sounds along the way.