I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving Holiday weekend filled with good food and great moments with your loved ones.  And hopefully all of you are finding it easier to fit into your jeans today a little easier than I am…truth be told, I may have taken eating leftover pie a bit too far this weekend…but it’s remarkable how pie leftovers taste amazingly good for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner…trust me, I speak from experience! …But now it is time to swear off pies again…for at least the next four weeks until Christmas that is!!!

The week after Thanksgiving holiday ends is a special week because it is really the week when all the Christmas magic kicks into full bloom.  Christmas lights all turn on, decorations abound, and Christmas music fills every radio station. People seem to get into a holiday spirit where they are just a little kinder and a little happier with each other. There is a spirit of giving and a spirit of love that seems to fill the air. I JUST LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

As hard as it is to go back to work after a holiday weekend, this week don’t think of it as drudgery…think of it as a time to really take notice of the people around you and a time to serve people just a little bit more than you usually do…that’s the best way to get the magic of the season going…

One thing I love doing with my own family each year is finding a family that might need extra help this year and then have having our family come up with a way to be Secret Santa’s to the family in need. It’s fun when you get your entire family involved in helping to pick out gifts for the other family and then coming up with a plan together for how you can go and deliver the gifts without getting caught. You can make it an adventure for your whole family to get excited about doing together and it’s a great way to teach your children firsthand the joy that comes from serving others.

Another thing that is awesome to do this time of year is to look at the things you might want to get rid of because you are no longer using them or people have grown out of them – bikes, toys, electronics, clothes, etc. Then get together with coworkers or neighbors or whoever and have everyone bring the things they don’t need any more. Then let everyone go through it all and take what they need for their own families. We used to do this every year at my old company and it was an awesome way for parents to get gifts for their children without having to spend money.

The next four weeks can either be the most stressful four weeks of our year or they can be the most magical four weeks of our year – the choice is ours.  All we need to do is commit to focusing on the joy we can bring to the lives of others through our simple acts of kindness…the more we do that, the more we will feel the true spirit of Christmas…and that is how we make our next four weeks the most magical weeks of the year…

Have an awesome Monday everyone…go make some magic!

~Amy Rees Anderson