It's Beggining to Look Like Christmas

 It looks like the Christmas season is well and truly upon us now.

In today's world we are inundated with images of Christmas from the media. We are told that it is all about buying expensive gifts for each other. In today's challenging economic times it is a tragedy that parents spend way more than they can afford to try to please their children. The sad truth is that, "money can't buy you love". A holiday is about the time spent together with loved ones. It is about gifts that come from the heart, and it is the about the thousands of years of tradition that mark the holiday season.

Allow yourself to be totally creative combining music and poems, a few loving ways to spend the night of Christmas together with loved ones.  And the best thing its free.  Here are some suggestions.  Poetry Reading and Sing Along Christmas Carols.  Enjoy and have fun-filled loving celebration.

The Littlest Christmas Tree

The littlest Christmas tree,

lived in a meadow of green,
Among a family,

of tall evergreens,

He learned how to whisper,

the evergreen song,

with the slightest of wind,

that came gently along.

He watched as the birds,

made a home out of twigs,

and couldn't wait till, 

he too was big.

For all of the trees,

offered a home,

the maple, the pine, and the oak,

who's so strong.

"I hate being little",

the little tree said,

"I can't even turn colors,

like the maple turns red",

"I can't help the animals,

like the mighty old oak",

"He shelters them all,

in his wide mighty cloak".

The older tree said,

"Why little tree you don't know?

The story of a mighty king,

from the land with no snow?"

Little tree questioned,

"A land with no snow?"

"Yes!" said old tree,

"A very old story,

from so long ago".

"A star appeared, 

giving great light,

over a manger, 

on long winters night.

A baby was born, 

a king of all kings,

and with him comes love, 

over all things."

"He lived in a country,

all covered in sand,

and laid down his life,

to save all of man.'

Little tree thought of the gift

given by him,

then the big tree said with the 

happiest grin,

"We're not just trees,

but a reminder of that day,

there's a much bigger part,

of a role that we play!"

"For on Christmas eve,

my life I'll lay down,

in exchange for a happier,

loving ground.

And as I stand dying,

they'll adorn me in trim,

this all will be done,

in memory of him".

"Among a warm fire, 

with family and friends,

in the sweet songs of Christmas,

I'll find my great end,

then ever so gently,

he'll come down to see,

and take me to heaven,

Jesus and me".

"So you see little tree,

we are not like the oak,

who shelters all things,

beneath his great cloak.

Nor are we like the maple

in fall,

who's colors leave many,

standing in awe".

"The gift that we give,

is ourselves, limb for limb,

the greatest of honor,

in memory of him".

The little tree bowed, 

his head down and cried,

and thought of the king, 

who willingly died.

For what kind of gift,

can anyone give?

Then to lay down your life,

when you wanted to live.

A swelling of pride 

came over the tree,

Can all of this happen?

Because of just me?

Can I really bring honor?

By adorning a home?

By reminding mankind,

that he's never alone?

With this thought, little tree,

began singing with glee,

Happy and proud,

to be a true Christmas tree.

You can still hear them singing,

even the smallest in height,

singing of Christmas,

and that one holy night.

by Amy Peterson

 Sing Along with Nat King Cole

The Little Christmas Tree

Little Christmas Tree
No one to buy you, give yourself to me

You're worth your weight in precious gold, you see

My little Christmas tree
Promise you will be

I'll make you sparkle, just you wait and see
Nobody else's little Christmas tree
My little Christmas tree

And you'll find that there's a strange new change
I'll put some tinsel in your hair
That you have never seen
I'll bring my boy a toy

I'll show Saint Nick the tree you really are
He'll jump for joy
To see his bright new queen
With me you will go far

With me you will go far
And there'll be peace on Earth when Daddy lights your star
My little Christmas tree
I'll show Saint Nick the tree you really are

My little Christmas tree

And there'll be peace on Earth when Daddy lights your star
My little Christmas tree


You're big enough for three.








Wishing your Family all the jingly, jolly joys of Christmas
More Christmas MP3 Carol


Your Guide to Being Happy

Seven Steps to Expanding Gratitude in Your Life

Gratitude is in the air these days, more and more, as a spiritual practice to uplevel and uplift your life. Authors such as Deepak Chopra, Brené Brown, Neale Donald Walsch, Diane Harmony and many more extol the power of gratitude. After all, one cannot be depressed or angry while in a state of appreciation. A main way to practice gratitude is to write 5-10 things per day, small or big, that you are grateful for, in a Gratitude Journal. However, this article takes the idea of being grateful even farther, and suggests other ways to implement the transformative practice of gratefulness into your life. Pick and choose what works for you!

1.     Blessing Others

It can be very beneficial to simply send love and gratitude to other people in your life. This practice takes the attentin away from yourself if you sometimes focus too much on yourself and your own problems . Think of 5 people per day that you wish to send love and blessings to. Since we are all inter-connected, they will feel your silent message to them and be subconsciously uplifted.

2.     Spiritual Time-outs, 5 times per day

Stop work or whatever task you are involved in during your routine day and give yourself a moment of gratitude and appreciation. You can even bring to mind something you wrote down in your Gratitude Journal, or come up with something brand new. This will shift your day and is particularly good if something stressful has come up beforehand. Try it 5x a day for several weeks, and reap the results of more peace of mind.

3.     Morning Spiritual Time

Start by taking at least 5 minutes each morning, perhaps reading a daily spiritual guide , or some pages of a positive spiritual or self-help book you are interested in. If you feel comfortable, spend a few minutes meditating by getting comfortable and closing your eyes and just being still. This also might be a time to write your thoughts of thanksgiving in your journal. Pray if it feels right to you. You will be amazed at how this morning centering will set a positive tone for your day. Add more time each day as you feel guided to.

4.     Evening Spiritual Time

Devote at least 5 minutes each night before you go to bed, contemplating your day, and thinking of things you are grateful for. There is always something to remember that was a blessing to you. You will find you sleep better and more restfully as you establish this new practice in your life.

5.     Blessing Everything That Happens

It can be a challenge to embrace everything that happens, especially the seemingly “bad” in your life. But it can be a wonderful spiritual practice to realize that every single thing that happens to you, is an opportunity for you to grow as a spiritual being having a human experience. It can be tough, but if something upsetting happens, think about it and turn it around in your mind, to find the positive. For instance, if you get a flu bug and are sick as a dog, perhaps you really needed some down time and rest from the grind of day-to-day living. It is liberating to find the blessing in an unhappy event in your life!

6.     Nurture Yourself

Do things that show you really love yourself. Be in joy and have fun more often! Here are some ideas to pick and choose from, depending upon what YOU most like.

–        Take a bubble bath in candlelight

–        Make a sacred altar on your dresser or table with treasured keepsakes

–        Spend 20 minutes in nature

–        Play with a child or pet

–        Instead of being so darn busy all the time, stop and do absolutely nothing!

–        Listen to music that soothes your soul

–        Go to the beach and walk barefoot in the sand

–        Think of your own ways to pamper yourself

7.     Make Positive Affirmations of Gratitude

Find a thought of gratitude that feels right for something that is not as natural to you as it could be. For instance, “I am grateful for the abundance in my life” if you feel financially challenged. You can expand on your affirmation of gratitude, using the present tense and words that resonate with you. Perhaps “I am in deep appreciation for the absolute abundance that pours forth in my life in every way.” Then, put your affirmation in places that you go to all the time, such as on the bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car, maybe use it as a screensaver on your computer, etc. As you keep affirming and believing this gratitude affirmation, it will come to fruition in your life.

These seven steps will definitely enhance your life in delightful ways!

Deborah Perdue is the author of the Grace of Gratitude Journal, and is a licensed practitioner with the Centers for Spiritual Living She teaches, classes, workshops and facilitates retreats on topics of expanding gratitude, joy and abundance in our lives. More information can be found at www.graceofgratitude.com

- See more at: http://www.evolutionezine.net/seven-steps-expanding-gratitude-life/#sthash.ERf252lQ.dpuf

Listen to Christmas MP3 Carol

 

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 http://mindvalleyacademy.com Gratitude Infographic

7 Tips To Love Yourself More

So many times we hear about how important it is to love ourselves first to find true happiness and peace within… And even though we’re aware that not loving ourselves can affect the quality of our relationships, our careers and our future… we sometimes continue neglecting ourselves as we’re too busy taking care of others. Ironically, it’s when relationships break apart or when health is compromised that we suddenly realize that we’ve forgotten about the person we need to take care of and love the most… OURSELF!

To ensure you’re giving yourself as much love as you’re giving to others, I encourage you to follow these 7 Tips To Love Yourself More:

 Tip 1 - Don’t be afraid to go after what you want in life People who love and respect themselves usually know what they want and they’re not afraid to express and act on it, rather than doing what they think is expected of them.
 Tip 2 - Honor your needs instead of your wants Stay focused on your goals and away from negative patterns and habits that could get you in trouble or make you feel stuck in the past and unable to move forward in life.
 Tip 3 - Nourish yourself Take care of your body, mind and soul by giving it what it needs, when it needs it. That means eating well, resting properly and not procrastinating on doing exercise or activities you enjoy.
 Tip 4 - Be assertive You’ll be practicing self love and respect every time you say no to doing things that could harm you physically, emotionally or financially. Don’t be afraid to say no, or to set boundaries.
 Tip 5 - Remove toxic people from your life And never feel guilty about it! Regardless if it’s a family member, your employer or someone you just met, you should never make room for people who ignore your boundaries, disrespect you or harm you in any way.
 Tip 6 - Heal your heart from pain To really heal your heart from painful or negative emotions it’s important you face them. Pretending that they’re not there will only bring about anger, anxiety and frustration. If you feel any resentment towards yourself or others, make sure you seek the help or advice of a friend, a mentor, or spiritual or professional advisor.
 Tip 7 - Love the moment you’re in right now Even if your present moment looks far from perfect, be grateful for how much you’ve learned up to this very moment and remember that there’s no better time than right now to start over.
 So take a deep breath and say out loud ‘Today is the best day of the rest of my life.’ After you practice these steps and start implementing them in your daily life, you’ll find out that you’ll attract more love, better opportunities and more abundance into your life. :)

Source: Natalie Ledwell -  is a best selling author, speaker and successful entrepreneur. She's passionate about helping others to achieve their greatest dreams and ambitions through her personal development programs and her online TV show, The Inspiration Show.

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7 Thing to Remember When Everything Seems to Be Going Wrong

7 Things to Remember When Everything Seems to Be Going Wrong

Not one person leads a life without feelings the grasp of Murphy’s law for at least a short period. Sometimes it feels as if at every turn something is going wrong. To get through these tough times we really have to rally all of our will power to make it through, but many have struggled down this path before and made it. So will you.

1. A Positive Affirmation 

Having a positive affirmation, prayer or mantra to repeat  when things get rough can really  help keep our brain on a positive track. Carry around your positive affirmation on a phone, notebook,bookmark, etc. Or you can ever memorize the positive affirmation, so you can repeat it whenever you are feeling down.

2. You are not ALWAYS in the Driver’s Seat

Some things are just truly out of our control. Learn how to differentiate between those things you can control and those you can’t. Once you know what you can control, you can begin making positive changes to avoid catastrophe in the future.

3. All Difficulties are Lessons 

We think Steve Jobs put it best when describing how good and bad life events can lead to a successful final destination:

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

We cannot exactly know what the outcome of our actions will be, but we still have to keep putting our best foot forward to get through.

4. You are Not Alone 

Friends, family, co-workers, pets, kids, acquaintances- we all have at least one person special to help us get through these time. Do not be afraid to lean on or even ask for help from people when you are in need. You may have to swallow your pride a little bit, but even getting a chance to vent can make all of the difference.

5. Maintaining your Healthy Lifestyle is Still Important

It can be easy to let healthy habits slip while we are going through tough times. The thing is during difficult time our body needs us to put in the effort even more due to the fact our survival instinct that kicks in during these time doesn’t always offer the best outcomes for our health.  It is imperative to keep up a healthy diet an exercise to maintain our current state of health. Remember to take care of yourself even when you have every excuse in the world to just go for that pizza and box of twinkies then binge watch television on Netflix.

6. The Best Way Out is Through 

The only way to get past the tough times is to go through them. Rather than delaying dealing with any troubles you may have now, start figuring out what you can do to solve or alleviate the problem. There are some troubles that we cannot fix, but working on what we can offers some relief.

7. All Things are Temporary 

As the old saying goes: “This to shall pass.” You’ll get through this, and you’ll be a better person for it.

Source:  99positiveaffirmations.com

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