With Christmas right around the corner I couldn’t help but to reflect back on fond memories of past Christmas times. Keeping with the theme of thinking of the past I couldn’t help but to pull a retro photo of a families 1960’s era Christmas. This post is not going to be like many I normally do. In this post I just want to focus on family, the holidays, and making fond memories you will cherish for a lifetime.
Since Christmas is just 15 days away I figured it would be fitting to get people thinking long before the holiday. Christmas like so many other holidays has become a huge commercialized vehicle for businesses to make income. Not that I am trying to say that is wrong but I feel that this has become a distraction from what is important. I feel that in all of this marketing and commercialization of the holiday we lose the aspect of family. It does not matter if you get the latest and greatest new gizmo from a big box store. In the end what matters the most is family. This is something I am afraid that so many people around the world have forgotten.
Holidays were always an important part of my life. When I was younger I remember having Christmas morning with my parents. My father would always take off work so that he could be there when I opened presents. Mom would always make an amazing home cooked meal and have a laundry list of deserts. Family would come over, friends, and I can still remember how we all sat around the kitchen table or in the living room. We normally had a Christmas movie on or Christmas music playing in the background. We had snow then and often we would all go outside and sled down the hill. In the end the holidays were always about spending time with family and enjoying each other’s company.
Times have changed since then and now many families do not get together like they used to and the Holiday’s have become a juggling act of visiting many different homes. Trying to have a family get together at times feels like you need an expert in logistics just to get all of the moving parts shipped and arriving at the same time.
Gifts have always been a part of the Christmas but time has proven that more focus on receiving the latest and greatest electronic device or game is more of a priority than the family time that was spent while obtaining the gift. This is an alarming development because no matter what gift you obtain the memories of family will last far longer than the electronic or game system you obtained. I cannot list the times during sessions that I have had clients complain about the lack of presents they received. This is disturbing as it appeared that they were missing a key aspect of the holiday, and that is time with loved ones.
This year spend some time focusing on family and building memories that will last a lifetime. Start a new family tradition. Who knows maybe you will start something that will be passed on for future generations to come. Life is short and the ones you love the most may not always be there for another Christmas. Regrets can last a lifetime too. So be sure to make the most of family time. Don’t cherish material things over family, and spend time talking, watching a movie together, or playing a board game. These memories will be far my valuable and enduring than any material item you may obtain.
I hope you all have a happy holiday, build traditions, and make lasting memories!