Happy Holidays, Ya'll!

Well folks, the holidays are most definitely upon us! Chaos and wrapping paper are around evey corner. Last minute gifts, last minute holiday cards, office parties, etc. are all added to the mix. It's a virtual frenzy of 'I have to do this!', 'I need to bake cookies for that!'. It is so easy to get lost in your to-do list. One day you are sleeping off Thanksgiving turkey, and the next you are freezing your mistletoe off singing Christmas Carols and Chanukkah songs.

Being away from my family for so many holidays, I just recently came to the realization of how far we all stray from their actual meaning. We're all in a mad rush to get to the stores, pushing and shoving our way through the aisles, with the sole intent to find and buy expensive items at a fraction of their normal cost......(door busters is what i think they are called). We do this out of love and kindness, and anticipation at the look on the recipient's face. I love giving gifts. I like people knowing I think of them enough to want to give them something either as a token of graciousness, or just in well-wishing. So please, don't get me wrong. I just feel like there isn't enough importance placed on the actual meaning of the celebration. It can sometimes get lost in holiday trinkets and decorations.

When I think of the holidays, I think of horrible cold (check), snow (come January, check), overcast skies (check), but I also think of spending quality time with my family. I think of trips to Bubbe & Papa's house where the warmth from the kitchen hit you full-force when you walked in the door. I think of the sound the latkes made while sizzling in Bubbe's skillet. I think of songs we sang, and smiles we shared. I think of warm hugs and laughter. I think of the people I shared the holiday with, and how much they meant to me, and still do. Call me sappy, a sucker, a ninny, a sentimental old......errrr........young fool. It's ok. I don't mind.

A happy holiday to me is all about the feeling you get from it. The closeness you feel towards the people you love. The bond you have on the first night of Chanukkah while standing around the menorah saying the blessing over the candles.....the same blessing our families have been saying for generations. For others maybe it's a feeling of waking up on a cold snowy morning, running into the family room and finding a hot cup of cocoa and a newspaper waiting for you placed by a roaring fire. It's about spending time together.........being together. Having a day to yourself when there is no need to brave the elements or follow a schedule. No obligations, just making time for creature comforts and simple pleasures. That to me is what the holidays mean.

Take time to teach your children, granchildren, spouse or significant other the true reason behind the holiday. Read the story of the miracle of lights. Explain to the family just why we do what we do. Give others an appreciation for what actually took place, so many years ago, to deem this time important enough for us to keep remembering it year after year. Build fires (in the fireplace), share egg nog, hot chocolate, or coffee (check), snuggle under blankets, watch 'A Christmas Story' 24 hours straight on tv, eat Chinese, and dress up your animals in reindeer headbands. Buy them plush toys shaped like dreidels and Star-of-David's. Give the person next to you a hug (unless you're in new york....on a subway.....and the guy next to you is talking to himself......then you call the police......and maybe give the officer a hug).
Hag sameyach (haag sah-MEI-ach) everyone! Happy Holidays everyone! I wish for you toasty warmth, loving hugs, and big smiles.