It’s the first time blog day is coinciding with Christmas day, and I am super excited to be writing to you on this special, special day. As expected, there’s plenty of excitement in the air. People are literally floating right now; that feeling of euphoria and exhilaration is not hard to miss. I am tempted to remind you that January (which is only a few days away) always feels ultra-long with its attendant notoriety for dragging on and on, I know everyone deserves to live with slight abandon sometimes. So, splurge if you must, but try to not invite penury in the process.
What makes Christmas extra special is its role as a forerunner to a new year. Non-Christians can identify with the celebrations because of this. The anticipation of a new dawn where people can attempt to right the anomalies of the past and take deliberate steps to a better future.
Individuals who believe they are lagging behind in some way are under pressure to do better in the new year; this pressure is partly responsible for the spike in unscrupulous activities during this period.
My advice?
Ease off on the pressure
You may be taking that long trip home, and some of your kin are poised to size you up to see if there’s a marked improvement in your fortunes. Your peers drive big automobiles now; they have at least 2 kids and you do not even have a partner talk more of tying the knot or birthing little humans. Your job is stifling and uninspiring and you actually dread resuming there after the holidays. Perhaps you do not even have a job to resume to. I know…I know…the pressure.
You need to breathe…
It’s easy to get caught up in all the merriment, to be swept by the waves of ecstasy such that the new year happens upon you before you get a chance to figure out your next line of action. Try not to let that happen. Have fun, please. But have a plan too.
As you attend yet another Christmas party or concert or family hangout, refrain from being the obnoxious person everyone else is wary of because they have a history of asking unsettling personal questions. Resist the urge to don the hat of a detective; let others be. The yuletide is a time people just want to forget their troubles, they don’t need you to be a constant reminder of them.
Be the giver
A common feature of seasons like this is begging. Everywhere you turn, someone is asking that they “do Christmas for them”. From security operatives to gatemen to waiters, and even friends, someone is only a dint of shame shy of dipping their hands into one’s purse to help themselves to some cash. The begging trend that quadruples at times like this should be the subject of in-depth investigation. Please stay away from the bandwagon.
How about you adopt the role of the giver this time around? Take up the challenge to be a blessing to others rather than seek to be blessed by them.
Why? You ask. Because it’s an empowering position to adopt—one that suffuses you with a wealth mindset. Aside from material things, you can offer your time by volunteering to a cause or deploying your expertise to the service of your community. Be the giver, be the one who spreads love.
It’s Christmas, be the premium version of what it means to be human.
Merry Christmas, family! God bless you loads.
