Raising Maine

Here we go again… as the clocks rolled back and the calendar pages flipped, I could feel it in the air – the holidays are coming.

When I was working yesterday to remove spider webbing from trees, flying bats from my kitchen and vigorously scrubbing orange frosting from my carpet, I heard a sound… It was the sound of bells coming from my basement.

What to my wondering ears???

Well, it seems my daughter had wrestled down, off the top shelf of our nearly-tipping-over-stacked pile of Christmas decorations, a magical little music box that plays a beautiful instrumental bell version of various Christmas classics… my heart lightened as I listened to the sound.

This moment caused me to reflect on how the holidays bring out the best in me. I feel energetic, creative, thankful, appreciated, happy, light-hearted, generous and so much more (it also made me sad to think of how it all comes to a screeching halt on January 2nd – but I won’t dwell on that right now).

So, inspired by the bells and with my mood instantly lifted I wondered… how do other people feel about the holidays?

I imagine there are many who are not quite as tickled by the season as I - it can be a stressful time (too much to do and not enough time to do it), a sad time (a time that might accentuate the loss of a loved-one), or a lonely time (a time when you struggle to feel connected). But wouldn’t it be nice if that could change? And with that in mind I thought “how can I impart a little cheer throughout the upcoming season?”… How can I do what I love to do and help others in the process?

After some thought I decided I’d like to donate some time to a complimentary holiday gift wrap station – ultimately at the near-by nursing home. I’ve got a folding table, tons of gift wrap and ribbon and plenty of band-aids for paper cuts. Although I haven’t quite figured out if this idea will fly, I’m sure the answer is just a few phone calls away.

What brings out the best in you?