It's not about Gifts Revive your Holiday Spirit

Motivational Guest Speaker Jody Urquhart

Has Christmas lost its sense of meaning? Yesterday, I went Christmas shopping- it was painful.

Don’t get me wrong I love shopping, just not for other people.

As I was frantically searching for the perfect gift to give my friend, I felt this great pressure to get the right gift and to spend a large sum of money (because I have to top or at least equal her gift to me). But I felt trapped- What do you buy someone who has everything? And than it hit me- don’t buy her anything.

Not to be a cheapskate but wouldn’t my gift giving dollar be much better off creating traditions and spending time with her (Take her to the movies, go out for dinner)? I can finally stop guessing if that crock pot I give her will sit and get dusty all year long. Instead, we will spend quality time together and create inspiration and lasting memories.

Giving gifts is easy and fun when people actually want or need things they don’t have (and it will be an unexpected surprise), but our society is so affluent now that if someone needs something they just go out and buy it. They don’t have to wait to get a Nintendo Wii from a wealthy relative at Christmas.

Christmas has become far too materialistic; it’s not about the gifts.

When the materialistic aspects of the holiday overshadow its meaning, it tends to leave people feeling empty and wishing for something more, feeling discontent instead of happy and fulfilled.

If you're feeling a little hollow about the holidays, what can you do? One way to revive the holiday spirit is to focus on traditions — and on putting real meaning into you’re giving.

Traditions that center on family or friends can be a great way to knock those presents out of the starring role and put meaning back into the holidays. Here are a few ideas:

Start a family tradition. One of my favorite sayings is people who play together stay together. This Christmas is an opportunity to get closer with the ones you love. Start a tradition that will create meaning and excitement every year. Traditions foster values and are an oasis to in an increasingly materialistic and hectic world… Below are some potential traditions for inspiration…

Collect or make one ornament each year that has special meaning to the family.
Drive around the neighborhood looking at lights and listening to Christmas music.
Make it yourself- Create your own holiday cards, bake cookies, make coupons for babysitting or a car wash.
Christmas Dinner- Place five candies on each dinner plate, then for every piece of candy have each person at the table say one thing they are thankful for.
Have each member of the family draw a name of another member and make a handmade gift for that person.
Sit and reminisce on old memories and Christmas past.
Shake up everyday routines to make them special (i.e.- dinnertime- sing songs, play a game or bedtime, make up stories).
Pick a Christmas tree as a family.
Decorate the tree.
Cook/ Plan meals as a family.
Teach someone something (how to knit, ski, bake or make a mean cocktail, below).
Tell Stories.
Eat dinner by candlelight.
Toast Marshmallows.
Play Games.
Sing Christmas Carols.
Go Ice Skating.
Create Christmas albums.
Family rituals encourage children's social development and boost feelings of family cohesiveness by 17%.

At Idoinspire this Christmas season we are especially thankful to all of our clients and for all of the incredible memories we had this year. Happy Holidays and See you next year.

Back by popular demand-
2008 Holiday Recipe
You'll need the following:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
nuts
1 bottle whisky, (very important)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sample the whisky to check for quality.

Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup & drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 tsp. sugar and beat again.

Make sure the whisky is still OK. Cry another cup. Turn off the mixar. Beat two leggs and addd to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the tuner. If the dried frust gets stuck on the beaters pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.

Grease the oven. Turn on the cake to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window. Check the whicky again and go to bed.

More Humor

Dr. Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things

you have started and have never finished."

So I looked around my house to see all the things I started

and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning,

I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish

Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription,

the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.