“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
Everyone looks forward to holidays – because they afford people the opportunity to bond and spend quality time together, away from the demands of work and business. While others go all out on luxury trips and cruises, organise and attend fancy destination parties, others prefer the peace and quiet in their homes, eat their favourite meals, watch family movies, reminisce how far they have come since the last holidays, make a toast in remembrance of those they have lost and appreciate whom they have and what they have gained a year later.
Holidays are refreshing moments because you get to wake up without having ‘targets!’ scream in your head first thing in the morning. They may be short – a day or two, a weekend or a whole week but the value they add to our health, be it either physical, emotional and mental is priceless. Laughter is indeed medicinal just as time spent in the company of family and friends is therapeutic. No amount of financial compensation can match up to the emotional bond rekindled and the sense of belonging enjoyed with loved ones.
Exchanging gifts is exciting as it is more of a sentimental exercise than a transactional one. A gift received is measured not necessarily by its price tag but the thoughtfulness that went into it, be it in its selection and/or wrapping. The touched heart and warm smile on the recipient’s face makes the anticipation of whether it would be appreciated all worth it.
Holidays are for rest, bonding and reflecting and should be taken as seriously as we do work. There are some things that money can’t buy and time with people who genuinely love you is no exception.
If you are out of ideas on what to do together, why not play some holiday tunes and sing along together? Bake some cookies and if you want to try something new, how about apple pie? Remember, it’s about spending memorable time together and however that means to you and your circle of friends and family, that’s absolutely fine.
“The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” – W. C. Jones
Image credit: Rodnae productions @Pexels
