Nov30

Publisher - December 2020

Pub0920“I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year”
—Charles Dickens—


I know January is supposed to be the month to rejuvenate and start anew, but why not go ahead and make it happen in December. That way you can rid yourself of any Bah Humbug and soak in the pure magic of the holiday season. Impossible, you think, with all the hustle and bustle with a mask on top? Yes. Very possible.

One of my all-time favorite philosophies is change your attitude, change your world, and there’s no better time than the holidays to start. Everyone’s “world” is shaped almost wholly by what she or he focuses on, and focus is made up of attitude, actions and reactions. In other words, you can train yourself to not automatically think negative! When you do, your life will lighten up and become more positive and happier. As an added bonus, your anger and frustration will soften and diminish. Isn’t that reason enough to start now?

If you can adopt this theory of focusing on the bright side, classic holiday frustration triggers, such as long grocery lines, a jerk stealing your parking spot, too much to do, or an especially annoying relative who tells you how to cook, when you are clearly the better cook, just roll off your back. This is sounding better!

Every situation can be viewed as good or bad; it all depends on who’s doing the viewing. Of course, there are those who thrive on negativity and drama. However, if you are tired of drama and ready for a more peaceful life—and who isn’t?—it’s easy to change your world with a few attitude adjustments. Simply put, focus on, and look for, the good. I promise you will find what you seek.

Instead of grumbling over a long grocery line, just go with it. Lamenting and getting yourself into a tizzy doesn’t make it any shorter. That’s what really needs to be understood: Whether you are mad about the line, or fine with the line, the line still exists. If you’re upset over it, the only one suffering is you—the prisoner of your own negative attitude.

What if you approached it like this? It’s the holidays; expect lines. Be happy for lines for it means people are prospering. Use the time in line to gather your thoughts, or to just breathe or pause for a moment. Be mindful of your surroundings while you’re in line, take them in and enjoy them. In fact, go a step further and let someone with only a few items go in front of you. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 11:25, “A generous person will prosper, he who refreshes others, will himself be refreshed.”
Speaking of being generous, let’s talk about giving, more specifically, random acts of giving. I love to give. I’m like a puppy at your feet when you are opening a present from me. I want to see you light up. I want you to love it. I get so much inner joy from gift giving. I’ve been known to bake 25 pecan and pumpkin pies on Sunday and give them away on Monday, mostly to people who barely know me. Some look at me weirdly, but I’m OK with my weird; I accepted it a long time ago.

This year, I want to challenge you to give a gift to someone you normally don't buy for, maybe even a stranger. Sometimes this world seems desolate and lonely, and you never know the impact your one small—or large—gesture will have. Whether it’s buying someone’s coffee, mailing a $20 dollar bill to a random home you pass by going to work every day, taking a shut-in a poinsettia, replacing a worn out basketball goal for the kid you see shooting hoops, or adopting a classroom and buying each child a book of their own, just do something, and most importantly, have fun with it.

You are not going to believe how you feel when you’re through. Just this one thing will light up your holidays, and you will instantly feel the magic of Christmas. In fact, you will BE the magic of Christmas for someone! Now let’s go be magical. What could possibly be better than that?

Thank you for reading Pink. You are a gift to me and the magic of the magazine. May this year’s holiday spirit be more meaningful than ever to you and yours.

Think Pink,
Elizabeth Millen