Why I Love Christmas

Why I Love Christmas There is absolutely no question; Christmas is MY favorite time of the year. I love the lights and the decorations; I put ours up on Thanksgiving weekend. I love the music, the carols, the songs, the heartfelt and the silly. My all time favorite song is “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” I love shopping for gifts for my family and friends. I love the food. It’s the one time of the year when I throw caution to the wind and eat whatever I love. But mostly, I love the time spent with friends and family. My sisters and brother-in-law are coming for Christmas this year and that is all I want for Christmas. The other thing that I love about this season are the movies. Many bring to mind the “real meaning of Christmas” so often forgotten, or perhaps just overlooked, in the bustle that can overcome our lives. A few of my most favorites: The Movie: A Christmas Carol, a.k.a. Scrooge There have been lots of movie versions of this story but my favorite is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim. This story talks to all the aspects of Christmas that we need to incorporate into every day of our lives, in business and at home. Love, goodwill, charity, gratitude, the Golden Rule and the knowledge that, given some provocation, we can all change for the better. The Movie: Miracle on 34th Street There have been lots of movie versions of this story but my favorite is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim. This story talks to all the aspects of Christmas that we need to incorporate into every day of our lives, in business and at home. Love, goodwill, charity, gratitude, the Golden Rule and the knowledge that, given some provocation, we can all change for the better. The Movie: Christmas Vacation The lessons from the 1989 film Christmas Vacation are numerous and obvious: dont substitute employee bonuses with a subscription to the jelly-of-the-month club; dont hire contractors for pool work unless you have all the capital on hand; dont kidnap your boss; never wear white patent shoes or a green dickey under a white sweater and, yes, you can overcook a turkey. For me though, Christmas Vacation is one of the greatest examples out there for a funny film that shows just how rewarding tolerance and a loving heart can be. Just like Clark (Sparky) I am given to romanticize my memories of Christmases past in search of the “Perfect Christmas.” But the humor of this movie lies in the contrasts of the perfect family gathering against the reality of a group of imperfect human beings thrown together by virtue of a blood connection. And, for this perfect Christmas, sacrifices are needed. You may have to sleep in the same bed with your brother. “We’re all making sacrifices, Audrey.” You may have to live for a few days with irascible relatives and freeloaders. You may find yourself with a dead cat burned into your carpet. Your sewer may blow up. But, it’s family and it’s Christmas and the beauty of it lies not in the achievement of perfection, but the process of searching for it. Happy Holidays From Balanced WorkLife So all of us here at The Balanced WorkLife Company want to wish all of you the very best Holiday Season ever. Oh and whether you’re Christian or not, sit down and watch these feel good movies that are more about how we treat one another than about Christmas. Now, go hug your family… the ones who push away and the ones who hold on too long … they are a part of you. They are what makes you you.