“And the Grinch, with his Grinch feet ice cold in the snow,stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?It came without ribbons. It came without tags.It came without packages, boxes or bags.And he puzzled and puzzled ’til his puzzler was sore.Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”- Dr. Seuss (How the Grinch Stole Christmas!)Hurry, hurry! There are only 21 shopping days ’til Christmas! What will I ever buy for Aunt Betsy and Uncle John? And what about the house cleaning, decorating and preparing a feast for a cast of thousands of hungry relatives?Isn’t it exhausting?If you feel as if you are walking around with that 10-inch high stack of Black Friday sale ads strapped to your shoulders for the following month, you are probably not alone. Whatever holiday you celebrate in December, it is an odd time of the year. We rush, we spend, then we feel guilty. The payoff is a few short days sharing the “spirit” with family and friends.Living up to the holiday hype is difficult even in the best of circumstances, but for families continuing to face unemployment, poor health and other hardships; it is more stressful.But, we will do it all over again next year and the year after and the year after that. Somehow, all that stress and work feels worth it in the end.Whatever the holiday you celebrate this month – Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza or some other – may this year be the one where you sit back, put your feet up, relax a bit and enjoy the moment. We’re going to try and do the same!Our very special wishes go to the military families who are missing one seat at the table this year because of assignments away from home. May your families and loved ones remain safe and healthy.And to all of our readers, we wish for you the most joyous holiday season with many blessings and happy times in the year to come.– Deb, Michelle and the NFH Team
