If you look at it from afar, December doesn’t really have a lot going for it unless you’re a penguin. It’s the darkest month of the year in the northern hemisphere. There’s also ice and snow in many parts of the country, which sounds all right until you have to drive in it. It’s enough to make you want to skip the whole thing and hibernate ‘til spring. 

Then you drive down a street and see the silver and gold lights glistening on the newly fallen snow or hear a carol ringing out through the frosty air and you’re reminded of the magic of the holidays.

It’s a special time, a time when we hope most people are a little nicer and a little more patient with their fellow human beings. It’s a time when we reconnect with friends and family we haven’t seen all year. Our houses look a little more cheerful and bright. We dig through some old boxes for a dusty photo book or check the TV listings for old favorites like How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We reminisce about Christmases long, long ago or hang a bit of mistletoe. 

It’s true that the weather outside is frightful, but for a little while we don’t mind. Like any kind of magic, holiday magic is fleeting, so take some time to enjoy it. After all, it only comes once a year.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The holidays are fun, aren’t they? There’s lots of color and excitement. If all goes well, we’ll spend them surrounded by family and friends, building memories that will help us get through the cold winter months. The only major downside is all that holiday merriment comes with a price tag, and if we’re not careful we’ll be feeling the pain in January.

The best way to avoid the post-holiday blues is to plan ahead, and just as importantly, budget ahead. Figure out how much you want to spend and what you want to spend it on. Are you going to be traveling? Hosting a big holiday get-together with friends and family? Is it the year for a big year-end blowout, or do you want something more modest and intimate?

Once you’ve decided what you want, the next step is to do it as economically as possible. That means taking advantage of holiday sales, partnering up with friends and family to save on shipping costs, and to get discounts for bulk purchases. It means buying things out of season when they’re less expensive. If things are less hectic around the holidays, why not try making gifts and decorations instead of just buying them.

When you’re coming up with a holiday budget, don’t just focus on gifts. Sure, they may be the most expensive things, but there are travel expenses and those special ingredients for those equally special holiday meals. Don’t forget about the holiday decorations as well. 

The holidays are a great time. Make it a great time for your wallet as well by planning and budgeting carefully. 

Happy Holidays! 

Every holiday season we’re bombarded with ads showing us all the wonderful things we don’t have. It may be a shiny new car, a slick new mortgage refi or a pearly white smile. Whatever the product, advertisers are sure to remind us how much better our lives would be if we just had ‘Product X.’ 

But what about the blessings we already have? Aren’t they worth something? In many ways that’s the true heart of Thanksgiving.

As a quick exercise, take a look at your life and think of five things you’re grateful for. It could be your house or your job, for example. It could be your education or even that specially signed, limited edition comic book. For most of us, our relationships with other people form the basis of our happiness. Think about your friends and family and how they impact your life. Sure, sometimes they annoy and frustrate you, but chances are your life would be infinitely less rich without them in it, even Uncle Barney with his pointless stories or Sally, the sister who always manages to find a way to get under your skin. 

We’ll still have our troubles and our strife, but in many ways, we’re almost all a lot more blessed than we realize at first. When we’re focused on what we have, rather than worrying endlessly about what we don’t have, it brings a sort of inner peace. The world seems just a little bit brighter, and we can really appreciate what makes the holidays truly special.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving. 

For many of us, the holidays are a time of joy. We’re surrounded by the love of friends and family, awash in a sea of light, color and the blessings of the season. For the less fortunate, the holidays are a little less blessed. Many people not only lack the resources to enjoy the season, but they may lack the basic necessities like adequate food and shelter. Walking in a winter wonderland isn’t nearly as much fun when you don’t have a warm home to return to. That’s where community service can make a major difference in the lives of many.

Giving, whether it be with donations or with your time, creates a cycle of caring. You’ve helped someone, who feels better about life and will in turn perform a kind deed for someone else. One small act can create a chain reaction that makes our world a better place to be. Maybe more than anything else, it exemplifies the true meaning of the holiday spirit.

Even if you’re not a big believer in karma, there are several other more practical reasons to be generous around the holidays. Depending on the charity, you may be eligible for a tax write-off, a nice consolation prize with the end of the tax year approaching. Another reason is that giving doesn’t just help someone else, it helps you. Studies have shown that people who give not only have greater feelings of happiness, but experience lower blood pressure and a lower risk for heart disease.

All in all, it’s a fairly simple concept. Volunteering for the holiday means happier people, a happier community and a happier you. Make the holidays better for someone else. You’ll be surprised at the difference it can make. 

When we consider our lives, it’s pretty easy to forget how many choices we have. We can choose what we say or where we worship, for example. It’s equally easy to forget how many people in the world don’t have the chance to make many of these choices. From Concord and Lexington to Iwo Jima and continuing to today, we have the ability to choose in large part due to the sacrifices of our veterans. Veteran’s Day is November the 11^th, so take a moment to say ‘thank you.’

You can say thanks in many ways. Fly a flag correctly. Attend a Veteran’s Day event in your local community or donate to a reputable veteran’s organization. Help out a military family in need. Why not visit a veteran or write to one? There are lots of ways to get involved. 

If other obligations mean you can’t get involved the way you would like, you can even observe a two minute moment of national silence, a two-minute time to silently honor our veterans. Passed as an official act of congress in 2016, the two minutes of silence is officially observed at 2:11 PM Eastern standard Time. 

It also important not to get Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day confused. The former is for living veterans, while the latter is to remember those who gave their lives for their country. 

Veterans are an important part of our country that is sometimes overlooked. It’s fair to say our lives would be considerably different without them. On Veteran’s Day (and every day) remember to say a word of appreciation to those who served for our country.  

When the weather is nice, it’s not that hard to motivate yourself to go for a brisk jog along that pretty nature trail or do your favorite aerobics workout in the nearby park. But once it gets cold the equation changes. Who wants to go out and exercise in the freezing cold? Here are some ways to keep up your regular exercise routine even when the thermometer says you should be home curled up in front of the fireplace.

Dress to stay dry, not just warm. The fastest way to lose body heat is to get wet. In the winter, look for synthetic fabrics that wick away moisture rather than a cotton t-shirt that will leave you sweaty and miserable. On another clothing note, make sure to dress in layers so you can peel off clothes as you heat up and then put them back on after a workout. Remember your fingers, toes and ears are more vulnerable to extreme cold than the rest of you, so don’t forget the hat and gloves. 

Also remember that in the winter it’s not just cold you have to watch out for, but also darkness. If you’re outside, skip the black and go for bright colors so oncoming traffic can more easily see you.

Winter brings ice and snow with it, so check the surface before you start running on it and make sure whatever shoes you’re wearing have good traction and plenty of tread. Don’t forget your skin either. It can take a beating during the winter, so don’t skimp on the lip protection and moisturizer. 

Following these suggestions will not only help keep you safe, but also more comfortable. A more comfortable workout means you’re more likely to finish it rather than cutting it short, and you’ll be ready for the next one rather than letting your fitness routine hibernate through the winter.