Who Do You Celebrate With?

The Holiday season is a time to celebrate with those closest to you. It’s a time to get together and eat, talk and spend time with your family. For many college students who attend college out of state or away from their family though, it may be a lonely day, or one that does not have the same meaning to those who have family close by.

For people who do not have any immediate family in the southern California area, the holidays are often a time to see who your true family is. It may be your closest friends who invite you to their house, a boyfriend or girlfriend or someone you never expected to extend an invitation to ensure you are not alone during the Holiday season.

From first-hand experience, it is a great feeling when people take the time to invite you to a gathering and make you feel welcome. It can really make the difference between a good and bad day.

If you are one of those people who get invited to someone else’s house for the holidays, make sure you are polite and grateful. Always RSVP ahead time and express your gratitude for the invitation, whether you decide to go or not. It is also always polite to ask if there is anything you can bring or contribute. No one likes a moocher.

Remember to dress nice and try to talk to everyone. If someone was nice enough to invite you to share the holidays with them and their family, the least you can do is be polite and get to know people at the party or gathering you attend.

For those of you who have a lot of family that live close by, and are lucky enough to spend every holiday with them, remember to not forget about your friends, co-workers or classmates who may not have anything to do.

For the upcoming holidays, I hope everyone has people around them to celebrate with and enjoy a great end to 2011!

"You don't smell like Santa!"

There are some holiday-themed movies that just never get old. This season just wouldn’t be the same without curling up on the couch with a blanket, a cup of hot cocoa, and a good Christmas film. There are many great films to choose from, but here are a few of my favorites:

5. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Though the premise is, admittedly, rather sad, over the years this film has become a beloved tale of the value of friendship, family, and the joys of life – all things that are at the heart of the Christmas spirit.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas

This one almost needs a category of its own, but my list feels incomplete without it. As it deals with two of my favorite holidays, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a staple film in both October and December. Almost like a uniquely-twisted “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” Burton’s classic film about a skeleton who tries to be Santa brings laughter and joy every holiday season. And they sing!

3. Love Actually

If you love romance-themed holiday films, Love Actually is definitely the film for you. There are eight separate story lines that, somehow, all connect back to each other in the end. It’s sent against the backdrop of the Christmas season and is sure to warm your heart.

2. Elf (2003)

One of Will Ferrell’s best films, Elf provides a lot of laughs and a lot of good cheer. Ferrell plays a human raised by Santa’s elves, and he gets himself into a lot of hilarious Christmas antics – including calling out a mall Santa as a fake (“You smell like beef and cheese, you don’t smell like Santa!”). The film provides great music (Zooey Deschanel sings), and by the end you might believe in Santa, too – or, you’ll at least believe in Buddy the Elf.

1. A Christmas Story (1983)

The story of a young boy’s epic quest to get the perfect Christmas present – a Red Ryder BB gun – provides the plot for this classic film. With a combination of family hijinks, frozen tongues, and hilarious other antics, A Christmas Story is a memorable season flick.

Don't Get, Give

Each year, it seems that the only thing November 1st represents is the beginning of Christmas in retail. It is the start of a two-month brainwashing technique that works on every single one of us. The longer we are surrounded by Christmas decorations, Christmas music and Christmas treats, the more we will buy and buy and buy. There are two things wrong with this: one, we completely forget Thanksgiving, and two, we miss the meaning behind both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I really started to think about this over the last few years while working in retail. The holidays create more stress over time and money when they should be creating a time of thankfulness, a time with family and friends, a time of celebration, and a time of love. Last year, I decided not to take November and December for granted, I decided to remember how thankful I was for what I have, because so many people don't have the money to stress over, the family to worry about buying for, or the relationships to enjoy. I wanted to give back, and found numerous ways to do so. In the end I chose to go through my work.

As Voluntears at the Orange County Food Bank, we were asked to fill boxes with healthy food items for the local less fortunate single mothers, children, and seniors. As the morning began, we met Andre who introduced us the organization and gave us a background of what happens at the warehouse and to whom the boxes go. We then split into two self-lead groups. The leaders (who were informed by Andre of what to do) helped to delegate the positions of the assembly lines. We were given two hours to fill as many boxes as possible; in the end, both teams were quite successful.

While completing the simple physical task, there were several lessons learned. Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork was lesson number one. As I was filling each box with two cans of peas, I could not help but think about the amazing people I was surrounded by. When I missed a box, they reminded me; when someone else missed a box, I reminded them. The entire two hours were filled with singing, laughter, and hard work. Lesson number two was appreciating the work we were doing so that we did it wholeheartedly. Knowing where the boxes were going and how each of us could relate to the activity allowed us to put all of our greatest efforts into it so that we could create the best outcome possible.

Events like these remind me how blessed I am to even have the opportunity to participate in all the other aspects of my life. Instead of complaining about how tired I am because I have too much to do, or how much I just want to relax, I should be truly appreciating the fact that my life is not completely focused on how I am going to get my next meal, or how I will make rent. Above all else, I need to use my time wisely so that I can use what gifts and blessings I have been given to better the lives of those around me who are in need.

So this year, before I get too far into the hustle and bustle that I have come to know as Christmas, I will remember just why I get to hustle and bustle in the first place.