Celebrate the Holiday Season…Morty’s Style

Hey there!

Ahh...The holiday season is here! Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Xmas, New Year’s. The familiar smells, sights & sounds. Oh Yeah!

Some of us are so excited it’s finally here. Others of us, on the other hand (and me included), are honestly pretty neutral about the whole ordeal. I hardly ever get to the point where I’m shivering with excitement, and I often feel we’ve “lost that loving feeling”, which, to me, is the heart of it. Unpopular opinion, I know.

Take Thanksgiving, for example. We plan for weeks: the menus, the invites, the long grocery list, the drinks, the decorations, and the list goes on. So does the stress level. Not just that, but we also worry about how well-received it will be. Do we have enough food & drink? How about desserts? Is the turkey too dry? Stuffing is too moist? Is that apple cider too spicy? Do we have enough tables & chairs? Then comes the aftermath: cleaning up afterward. You know exactly what I’m talking about. 

And don’t forget about Christmas. Start shopping early, start now! What should I get for him/her/them? Oh boy, sorry got you the wrong size jacket, here’s how to exchange it. I want to get you this thing even you told me you really want that thing instead. Should I give a “gift” just because they got one for me? Even though they said not to? What is more important, my need to have something to open on Xmas morning, or respecting some else’s wish?

You’ve lost that loving feeling.

None of this sounds like a “loving feeling”, does it? We try hard not to show it. But baby, we know it: at some point, it’s gone, gone, gone. That’s my point. We do all these things and go through this stress test year after year because we want to show our deep appreciation and genuine care to our loved ones. I’m down for that, but I don’t love the process. I feel like we put all our eggs in one basket, just for one or two particular days of the year, as Maverick flies off into the sunset.

Don’t get me wrong, I support the spirit of the holiday season. But in practice, I’d rather do it differently ... Morty’s style. Here’s how that goes.

  • Make your day-to-day life hassle-free. You’ll thank yourself for this practice and your pets will love this too.

  • Find as many ways as practically possible to regularly show genuine affection for the people (and pets) you care about. “As practically possible” doesn’t mean spending lots of money. People (and animals) don’t expect elaborate gestures, they just want to know you care about them, and not just at particular times of the year. Call them up and go for a coffee/lunch/dinner date on random days. Or save an extra belly rub for Fido before bedtime.

  • Surprise & delight year-round. When someone does something meaningful to or for you, no matter how small, give instant gratification and thank them on the spot. Why wait until the holidays to show your love, appreciation, and what you are thankful for? 

  • Listen intentionally. People (and our dogs too) feel a tremendous sense of value and worth when it’s clear you are listening to them. It’s so much harder to do this in a room full of people when everybody is talking over each other all at once.

 

Getting together is fun, no doubt. It encourages us to connect with others and let the good times roll! But is it right to wait for the holiday season to be the only time of the year to do so?

The holiday season often appears to be all about partying, gifts & presents, and having a good time, but there is a deeper layer to it, I believe. There is a kind of perfect flow and natural grace that comes with spending time with your loved ones - both humans and animals - and that is the real essence of the holiday season.

Reflect to see why those holiday season stresses are even there in the first place. Is it because of our own expectations or the expectations of others? I’ve come to realize that nothing is higher than my own expectations.

I am not against those good-old-days holiday traditions. But material things or practices are only meaningful because we assign value to them. I just assign values to those traditions differently than others. I’m all for a balancing act and distributing “loving feelings” evenly all year-round. Keep it going and keep it flowing. At Morty’s, traditions are yours to define.

If you’ve read this far, please know that I’m so thankful for your efforts and the privilege of your time.

With gratitude, truly.


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