Momma of Dos: ::Celebrating the holidays with JOY!:: Guest Blogger, Coppelia

Thursday, December 15, 2016

::Celebrating the holidays with JOY!:: Guest Blogger, Coppelia

{Guest Blogger Coppelia of www.CoppeliaMarie.com}

I started thinking about Christmas back in September. Ha! Seriously, there's a website that counts down 101 days to Christmas with ideas on how to get organized, plan ahead and make sure the crazy busy holiday time is less stressful and more merry and bright. The countdown starts in September and I love it!

You know how some people are adulting? I'm more into Christmasing.

And yes, singing loud for all to hear (which, we all know is the best way to bring Christmas cheer), happens daily in my car.

But here's the thing: finding joy during the holidays can be tough, especially if:

-Someone you love is sick, battling cancer, needing surgery, etc ...

This season, it was my mom. (And I'm thanking God that she's doing great! But we were all pretty worried about the whole thing.)

Finding joy during the holidays can also be rough if:

-Finances are tight and the kids need Christmas outfits for the reindeer romp, the holiday piano recital, gifts for the teachers and you need an ugly sweater for the office Christmas party.

Or, maybe you can relate to this:

-You know those moments when you go through the drive-through line at Starbucks and try to drown your sorrows in a peppermint mocha or gingerbread latte? You could be having a peppermint pity party.

So, what can you do when you're experiencing a combination of all these things (and maybe some more that I didn't have on my list), and you are just not feeling joyful?

You can still have JOY!

Sometimes getting out of town for a while helps. We recently had a blast at SeaWorld's Christmas celebration. We even met Rudolph!

But when you're home, maybe wishing you could go somewhere but the circumstances just don't allow (been there, done that), this might help:

There's a local radio station in Houston, KSBJ (I used to do the morning show there!) and they do something called "The JOY Pledge." Basically, when you're feeling the stress of the holidays for whatever reason, or when you have the Christmas blues, you stop for a moment & say the JOY pledge:

I choose joy

And when I keep my eyes on Jesus,I have joy!

When I lose it, I will choose it.

I choose joy!

It might seem like those are just words, and maybe you're skeptical that "saying a pledge" won't do much to solve your holiday woes. But try it!

Sometimes, a little change in attitude can go a long way.

If we are focused on all the negative things that are happening, of course we're not gonna feel joyful!

BUT, when we decide to think about what we're thankful for, when we make up our minds to choose joy, we often find that one of my favorite quotes, really is true:

"Feelings follow actions more often than actions follow feelings."

In other words, if you wait until you feel joyful… you might be waiting until the new year. But if you decide to act and make the decision to choose joy, you might be surprised that the feeling of joy will follow!

I'd love to hear from you in the comments! Share with me the things that work for you as you try to find joy in this season.

Here's to more JOY than ever before!

Laughing (and being JOYful) thru life,

Coppelia