Christmas Chaos
This is a guest blog by one of my friends and former students, James Wood.
Christmas Chaos, and all the things you can do for family and friends
It’s that time of the year again when the days get shorter, and your to-do lists get much longer. Traditionally this is when our family and friends come together and help provide us with enough cheer to make it all the way through to next year. Unfortunately for everyone this year though, we all still reside in a world plagued by a global pandemic.
If that by itself isn’t frightening enough, the effects of a global pandemic are wreaking havoc this year through job loss, product shortages, and restrictions that prevent us from living our lives as we may have once done in the past. Never Fear! I am here to provide you with a few tips and tricks that can and will help guide you through these hurdles and support our family and friends this holiday season.
My first tip on how to do that is through making meaningful connections. That sounds straight forward and obvious at first, until you consider the full effect that our current predicament has put some of our loved ones in. With the pandemic, everything is being shifted into the home like school, work, and many outdoor or public activities have been postponed, or cancelled until a later date. The amount of stress that is piling on top of people because of the lack of social interaction can be extreme for some. You can connect through a phone or video call, by visiting them, or even going out to a park or location where it is safe.
My next tip is about saving money this season. You know that you would love to spoil all of those around you with expensive gifts and things that they want so that you can show that you care. Unfortunately, you might not be in the position to continue with that trend this year. However, you now have the perfect opportunity to show that money doesn’t equal love. There are many ways to do this, but one thing that I find that works out well is through crafting or creating the gifts that you give. Nothing shows your love or affection quite like putting your time and energy into creating something like a card, photo album, painting, or any of the many other things that you can make for your family and friends.
Due to production/shipping delays, my next tip must be about when to purchase things if that is what you decide to do. Usually, you wouldn’t have to put that much thought into how you would get the gift once you decided on what to get. This year that may not be the case at all. If you are planning to get something that might be a popular gift this season, my tip to you is to go and get it sooner than later. You might want to wait for a sale, however, you run the risk of having to switch to a plan B if that sale doesn’t pan out.
It is more important now than ever that we tighten our bootstraps and show up for our friends this holiday season. It is time that we re-connect with God and those that we love, and it is more important than ever. Something small may bring light to an otherwise dark day for someone, and you can be the torch bearer to do just that.
