Episode #57 Creating that Christmas Connection

My family has celebrated the holidays with church services, gifts, lip-sync contests, polka dancing, sporting events, Christmas cookies, movie marathons, sleep-overs, all night video game marathons, trips to Disneyland, family skits, days at the beach, hiking, rock climbing, Christmas light walks, truck bed caroling through the neighborhood, and even Taco Bell.

We've tried turkey, ham, clam chowder, and prime rib!  There have been Corn Flake cookies, date cookies, cookies in the shape of Santa, trees, snowmen, and bells.  One year, my cousin and I even decide to start a business selling fake snow by chipping away at the styrofoam  packaging in my grandparents' basement.

There have been gift exchanges with a variety of "rules".  There have been years when the gifts were plenty, and years when they were scarce.  We've tried ALL attending the same church services and doing our own thing.

Some of this stuff inspired that Christmas feeling we all crave - and some of it fell short.  And now I finally know why ..."That Christmas Spirit" , "The magic of Christmas" ...whatever name you like to give to that feeling that you are seeking around the Holidays is just that - a FEELING.  And every feeling is caused by a thought, and every thought is optional.

All my life I've been trying to change the actions and hoping I would find just the right combination in order to feel "Christmas" - but it turns out that I can get that magical feeling by choosing where to focus my thoughts.  The place I've chosen to focus is connection.  Check out this weeks podcast to see how you can try it too.