Tips to De-Stress Before and During the Holiday Season

The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately it can be anything but relaxing, especially if you are hosting dinners or parties. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the stress of what are supposed to be happy moments.

The holiday season is usually happiest for the participants and not the host or hostess. But, you can change that this year. When you feel the tenseness creeping up your body:

1. Practice breathing exercises. You’d be amazed how much this works. The brain needs oxygen; in fact it needs 20% more oxygen than the rest of your body. Deep breathing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, allowing you to think more clearly. That seating arrangement problem for Thanksgiving dinner will seem to solve itself. [Read more...]

What Does Christmas Mean For All

4burgCandlesby Jackie Spivey

Christmas means a joyful time of year, having fun with your family, spending time with your family, seeing all the beautiful lights, decorating the tree, eating all the food you can eat, celebrating the birth of Jesus and buying presents for other people. Traditionally, this is what Christmas means for all.

It is the season during which Christians everywhere give thanks to God the Father for the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the church’s celebration of the Incarnation, the supreme mystery that the holy and almighty God took on human flesh and was born in this world of the Virgin Mary.

A Christmas tree is the heart of Christmas celebration. Trees seem to have originated in medieval Germany and were used for a long period of time before we began to decorate them. Decorating any Christmas tree is a fun way to celebrate the holiday.

Trees are very important and have been worshiped before writing because of their symbiotic relationship with EVERYTHING around them. Christmas trees have been decorated since their origin in the 16th century Europe, first with edible treats. [Read more...]