Hey there, lovelies! Since Matty’s first post ignited such a huge response, I thought it might be fun to bring him back again. Okay, I’m really just swamped with studying and wanted to give you some content that wasn’t written in a giant rush. Sound good? Great! Let’s talk more about the holidays, shall we? As if I haven’t harped on them enough! But you could always use a male’s perspective on such things, right? This post goes to show that healthy and compassionate living isn’t just about food and fitness.
What’s Important This Holiday Season
Hello again, everyone. I hope you’re all having a good start to the week and that you got some rest over the long holiday weekend.
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we have officially entered “holiday season.” While this brings about thoughts of snow, hot chocolate, and ridiculous sweaters, it is also synonymous with shopping. Now I know that it’s better to give than to receive and people want to get the best deals in order to save money, but I think things are getting out of hand.
Photo courtesy: thanksgivingblackfridayads.com
We all hear horror stories about Black Friday shopping, but this past Friday seems to have been one of the worst ever. While it was a record-setting weekend for retailers, Black Friday appeared to bring out the worst in some people.
In Porter Ranch, California, a woman allegedly pepper-sprayed 20 people in a local Wal-Mart so that she could get her hands on an Xbox 360. In San Leandro, California, a man was shot during an attempted robbery in a Wal-Mart parking lot. And easily one of the most horrifying stories from this past weekend, a man collapsed in a West Virginia Target and fellow shoppers walked around (and some even walked over) him to continue shopping; the man died later that night in a local hospital.
Photo courtesy: cafeimages.com
I understand that these are isolated incidents and that things went smoothly in most places, but the fact that some people would go to such great lengths to save some money on gifts is ridiculous. It’s clear that many people have forgotten what the holiday season is all about. Too many people focus on the material side of the holidays and that’s sad.
Now I know that giving gifts to our loved ones has become an integral part of the holidays and I understand that giving gifts makes us feel good, but there’s no need to go crazy over it. We don’t have to go out shortly after having Thanksgiving dinner and shop until the sun comes up in order to get gifts for the people that we love.
Heather Interjection #1: Matty and I actually made a pact this Christmas to get one practical gift for each other and simply enjoy each other’s company instead of going gift-crazy. We ended up choosing to buy each other new winter coats. It’s sort of humbling and takes some pressure off of both of us!
Unfortunately, one aspect of the holiday season that some people seem to forget about is being charitable and kind to others. It’s clear that the people that I mentioned above have completely forgotten about this. All they thought about was themselves and look what happened. This is the time of year that people should be thinking about how they can help others instead of only thinking about how they can help themselves. There are so many people in this country, let alone the world, who can’t even afford to buy food for themselves; these are the people that we should be thinking about during the holidays.
Heather Interjection #2: A great way to show your love for others during the holidays is by sponsoring a needy family. My family and I do this every year. It’s really eye-opening; people ask for the simplest things that we often take for granted like diapers, plates, silverware, and warm pajamas. You can find a needy family to sponsor in your local newspaper.
Photo courtesy: moxleycarmichael.com
The holidays are also a time that we get to spend with our friends and family. Many of us are very busy throughout the year and don’t get to see some people that we wish we had more time for. This past Wednesday, I got to spend time with a childhood friend that I hadn’t seen in over three years, and that was definitely the best part of the holiday for me. These holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, give us the time to relax and enjoy the company of our loved ones, and we shouldn’t take that for granted.
So for the next few weeks don’t stress about shopping. Life is too short to worry about trivial things like that. Focus on the things that are important: being kind to others and spending time with the ones you love.
