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Why Can't Every Day Be Like Christmas?

Guest post by: Elizabeth J. Macarthur

Article Overview: The Christmas season has the potential to create for us a time of joy, peace, giving and receiving of love, and warm fuzzy feelings inside. Why does that have to end with the end of the Christmas season? Or does it? Please read on to discover some tips on how to create these feeling the whole year long.

Why Can't Every Day Be Like Christmas?

I was sitting in a restaurant the other day when one of their Christmas songs caught my attention. I don't know the name of the same, however the line that stuck out for me went something like, "Why can't every day be like Christmas? Why can't the feelings last all year long?" This really got me thinking about some of the positive feelings that seem to be more predominant this time of year or at least are on people's minds. It seems that we all know that the Christmas season is about peace on earth, good will to others, giving, being generous, being kind, being loving, making time, visiting, family, etc.

It starts with the Christmas lights and decorations outside and snow if you live in the colder climates. These are great triggers to start those feelings of excitement and anticipation. And then there's all the decorations that the stores and mall put up to help get us "in the mood" to Christmas shop. And as we get closer to Christmas there is the putting up of the Christmas tree and decorations in the home. There's the Christmas baking of our favorite holiday cookies, candies, etc. There's also Christmas parties and holiday celebrations, get togethers, etc.

And let's not forget the Christmas music. We all have our fav0riate songs and singers. Come December 1st most radio stations and stores start playing the music continuously. Christmas CDs are advertised everywhere. And there are also the Christmas specials on TV which include concerts with our favorite singers, old time favorite animated shows like Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And also, Christmas movies about Santa Clause, about love, about giving, about all of the special Christmas feelings that are suppose to be available this time of year.

All of these things that I have mentioned are what we call outside triggers. An outside trigger is anything that happens outside of yourself that connects with certain feelings, certain memories inside of you that are now brought to the surface.

I would like to note here that although I am focusing on the positive side of these feelings; these feelings can be either positive or negative based on your previous experiences of Christmases past. For a lot of people, the Christmas season is one of great stress, depression, loneliness, dislike, resentment and unhappiness. And for some people it is a combination of both positive and negative feelings based on positive and negative experiences from years gone by.

Regardless of whether these feeling are positive or negative, the point is that they are triggered outside of ourselves. So if we go back to our question of "Why can't every day be like Christmas?" the answer is simply. If we are relying only on outside circumstances or triggers to create these feelings, than these feeling will only come forward when the outside circumstances are available.

If we want every day to be like Christmas, meaning the positive feelings and attitudes are brought forward, than we have two choices. We either have to keep the outside triggers going to stimulate the inside feelings or we can find another way to bring forth these feeling.

What do you think it would be like if you lived every day like it was Christmas from the inside out instead of the outside in? Do you think that you could find ways to create those feelings of peace on earth, good will to others, giving, being generous, being kind, being loving, making time, visiting, family, etc. on a daily basis? Of course you know the answer is yes. It starts with a decision to do so. I would like to invite you to do so and to live each day forward like it is Christmas.

All we have to do is to create internal positive triggers and to get rid of the internal negative triggers. What I have noticed for myself this year is that because I have worked on creating internal positive triggers for myself, the outside triggers for Christmas are not creating those wonderful positive feelings but rather enhancing those which are already there.

I would like to offer some suggestions on how to get rid of internal negative triggers first. What I mean by an internal negative trigger is centered mostly on our negative self talk. When that voice in our mind starts saying things like:

„« You don't deserve to be happy.

„« You don't deserve peace.

„« No one is giving anything to you.

„« It doesn't pay to be kind

„« Why love anyone when they always hurt you?

„« No one makes time for you.

These may be different for you, but you get the drift of this line of thinking. When our self-talk starts going in this direction, it triggers feelings like resentment, anger, unforgiveness, dislike and distrust just to name a few. It is important that we work on our self-talk in order to switch it to positive. Just to give you an idea of your own level of negativity from your self-talk, for one day I invite you to monitor your own self-talk. Every time it starts going negative, make a mark on a piece of paper. At the end of the day, count all the marks. You may be surprised to see the results.

Pay close attention to those thoughts that put yourself down, that tell you you're not good enough or don't deserve a happy life. Most of us are not aware of the sabotaging effect of these thoughts and how powerful they really are. By that same token, most of us are not aware of the power of the positive thought.

So every time you recognize a negative thought, switch it to a positive thought and run with that. Allow the positive thought to trigger the positive, empowering feelings.

How do I create internal positive triggers? Make a list of all the things that you like about yourself. Are you intelligent, pretty, smart, loyal, humble, interesting, loving, kind, excellent at certain things, etc? Make a list of things you like about your life. If you are struggling with these lists, it is the internal negative self-talk that is standing in your way. Do some investing on yourself to find out what you really think about yourself. Anything you don't like, get rid of it. Anything you do like, continue repeating that to yourself. Repetition is a wonderful way to increase positive internal triggers.

Doing a grateful list every day is a wonderful way to support creating your positive self-talk. These can be either written down or simply recited in your mind. I do mine first thing in the morning, in my mind, as I review the events of the day before.

One of the feelings of Christmas is related to the receiving of gifts. When I do my grateful list, I am acknowledging all of the gifts I have received the day before. I am also acknowledging all of the ways that I have been giving and loving towards others. This is a wonderful way for me to stay in the Christmas spirit every day.

So to recap, it starts with a decision, followed by some work on our self-talk, which takes us to increasing our internal triggers so that every day can be like Christmas. The feelings can last all year long. It is up to you, and only you, to make this happen for yourself.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday Season, and a wonderful New Year filled with love and light and whatever you desire to make every day like Christmas for you.

With love and gratitude,

Elizabeth

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Article Tags: christmas, christmas season, love, peace, warm fuzzy feelings



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