The Holidays Are Different This Year… So What?

You know I like to take a slightly different tack on just about everything. I simply can’t help myself.

So, Let’s Talk Holidays for a Moment.

We’re hearing a lot about how different the holidays are this year.

Yeah sure, the holidays are different this year. We knew they would be… But how much does it really matter?

It seems to me the holidays always tend to sneak up without warning and surprise us. Doesn’t it feel that way to you? And they always end up a little different from one year to the next anyway. So I ask you, what’s so uniquely different about this time?

Okay, sometimes they arrive like a storm that spins up around Thanksgiving and doesn’t break until after New Year’s Day. We won’t mention that this year it felt like an early spring storm set in and lasted all freakin’ year. We’ll leave that part out for now.

And don’t you find the end of the year is a time for both celebration and reflection for most of us?

This one has been a tough, tough year for so many. 

If that’s the case for you, I hope that 2021 will be very different. And I wish you that you find peace and joy again in the days to come.

Although the holidays may feel different this time, we’re in the midst (or should I say mist?) of the season. In one way or another, this time of year is something we can’t avoid being invested in. Holidays happen.

By the way, speaking of holidays…

Do you have any idea just how many holidays happen in December alone?

The attempt of an actual count will spin your head into the red zone. Trust me… you don’t even want to try. You can see an incomplete list here.

So, would it be okay with you if I take a break from the usual sort of post and simply wish you all the very best for the remainder of the holiday season? Since everything else out there is taxing our collective spirit, let’s just dial it back as much as we can right now.

We’ll just call it good for this time around. Cool?

But here’s something you might find mildly amusing. In my ill-fated attempt to be inclusive and all-encompassing, I stumbled onto the fact that today is National Pfeffernuessse Day (at least according to nationaldaycalendar.com it’s a fact). I kid you not… it’s a real thing, both the day and the traditional German cookie known as pfeffernusse.

And Grandma, yours were the best!

Since real hand-and-heart-made pfeffernusse was always a December tradition for me growing up back home, I would like to share this with you…

May you have a happy, joyous, prosperous, grateful, and giving National Pfeffernuessse Day my friend.

Be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or another spiritual celebration, or even just a good ol’ traditional winter festival… I wish you the very best!

I’ll get back on track with my usual posts whether it’s next week (which is at risk due to my plans for much relaxing and a few domestic projects), or it may end up being the first Wednesday of the New Year.

Oh, it feels sooooo gooooood to say those words… ‘New Year.’

And before I close, I would like to thank you for reading and for being a part of the LifeUntucked^® journey.

With our gatherings few, and friends far and wide, it’s still possible to make your holidays enjoyable—to make them special.

So what if the holidays are different this year? When you think about it, they’ll only be a little different this time around.

Be safe out there, and…

Be untucked.

p.s. One of the themes I try to express here is that our friends and family matter more than anything. And looking out for others is among the most important things we can do, especially in tough times.

p.p.s. Make sure this next year, you make time for the people you love.

Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved