YOUR LIFE A-Z:TEDDY BEAR

I Have Plenty of Hugs for You

TEDDY BEAR

The story of the TEDDY BEAR comes alive through President Teddy Roosevelt who reportedly refused to shoot a tied up bear. Roosevelt was on a bear hunting expedition and the expedition was failing miserably to produce a bear for the President to shoot.  Finally the dogs trapped a poor old fat bear and the hunting party tied it up for our president to shoot.  When the President arrived to the site and found the bear tied up, he refused to kill it because he said killing it would not be honorable sportsmanship.  This story was deemed compassionate and quickly spread from the hunting camp throughout the country.  A female candy shop owner in Brooklyn made the first TEDDY BEAR from a picture that appeared in the Washington Post.  She wrote President Roosevelt and requested permission to name the bear TEDDY BEAR and from that day on TEDDY BEARS have danced into the hearts of children across America, especially appearing under the tree on Christmas morning.  Did you have a TEDDY BEAR as a child?  Do you have a TEDDY BEAR today?  Have you ever seen a TEDDY BEAR that did not make your heart warm up and your whole body smile?  There is something adorable and magical about TEDDY BEARS.  If you are in need of nurturance, a hug, or just some friendly soul to pour your heart out to, then maybe you will benefit by putting a TEDDY BEAR under your tree this Christmas. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z:QUAINT

Create Memories out  of QUAINT  Traditions

QUAINT

QUAINT is defined as picturesque, attractive, charming and even old-fashion.  Thus, when I think about a QUAINT Christmas, I remember fondly the real bubble lights on our family Christmas tree.  Those lights were magical and I could watch them for hours on end, mesmerized by the bubbles that endlessly climbed to the top of each light.  What are some of your QUAINT memories about your past holidays?  Do you have a tradition from your childhood that you still carry on in your family today?  What is it about that tradition that makes you feel connected to QUAINT times of the past?  Carving out time in the hustle and bustle of this over commercialized season to make a Christmas evening at home QUAINT will help you build memories with your family for years to come. What could be better than turning on some traditional Christmas music, turning on the Christmas tree, and sitting around the living room telling Christmas stories and remembering your favorite Christmas with your children and friends?  That is beginning of building a picturesque and QUAINT Christmas.  You can make some popcorn, Christmas cookies, and hot chocolate and turn off all electronics for two hours while engaging each other in conversations and story.  Storytelling is a QUAINT activity that builds relationships, exercises creativity, and enhances connection among family members taking advantage of personal time that will never be forgotten.  Set aside at least one designated evening to be with family and set the stage to create an old-fashion QUAINT Christmas tradition.

YOUR LIFE A-Z:PRESENTS

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIGHT

PRESENTS Under the Tree

As we are learning together, most of our traditions come from Germany with pagan origins, hi-jacked by the Church to bring people to Christianity.  I would speak to the issue of the Church as opportunists, but that would not speak to the spirit of the season, so I will stick to Advent and using this time of the year to truly reflect on the opportunity that the Christmas Season gives us to connect to other people.  We know the Magi brought gifts to the Christ Child.  We know that in the dark season of winter, Europeans brought each other gifts of food, Yule logs, and other gifts that represented life.  I learned that the tradition of lavish PRESENTS under the tree really began when German Prince Albert married Queen Victoria of England.  Queen Victoria had fond memories of her childhood when her German mother and British father placed PRESENTS under the tree for their children. Queen Victoria developed fond memories of this time and she and her German husband carried on the tradition in their royal family. Beautiful pictures of their PRESENTS under the tree made their way into the paper.  The wealthy middle class adopted the idea of the PRESENTS and today it has become an opportune time for merchants.  I invite you to personalize the tradition for yourself and your family.  Create ways this Christmas (and Hanukkah) to make PRESENTS meaningful and mindful. Choose PRESENTS that make a heartfelt connection to those you choose to gift. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: ORNAMENTS

SPECIAL MEMORIES

ORNAMENTS

            It has been very interesting doing the research to bring this alphabet of Advent to you.  I am discovering that most of our Christmas traditions have been passed down to us through Germany. Most of our traditions are converted pagan practices, adopted by the church in order to appeal to the conversion of pagans to Christianity.   ORNAMENTS began with a monk, St. Boniface.  St. Boniface, born in England but sent to Germany, was the first person to adapt the pagan practice of the evergreen tree, which represented life in the middle of darkness to the people.  St. Boniface told the people that the triangle shape of the fir tree represented the trinity, God the father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  He began to decorate the tree with white candles and red paper roses (representing Mary the Virgin).  From there the practice of placing ORNAMENTS on the tree began to spread throughout all of Europe.  The idea of adorning God with beautiful ORNAMENTS made sense to the people and they delighted in making the fir tree beautiful as a part of their religious practice. 

ORNAMENTS originally found their way to America, through beautiful glass ORNAMENTS from Germany.  The practice was picked up by Hallmark early on and they began making collectible ORNAMENTS which people shop for the latest collectible to give as gifts at Christmas time.  As you decorate your tree with ORNAMENTS this year ask yourself about how and why you chose your ORNAMENTS?   Allow yourself to make this now mostly pagan activity, a practice of story telling and family history making.

YOUR LIFE A-Z:TRADITION

MAKE IT SPECIAL, WHATEVER IT IS!

Tradition

Tradition is something that builds connection and internal affluence.  What are some of the traditions (stories, actions, rituals, thinking) that you practice today from your parents or grandparents?  Do you have new traditions that you have created in your adult life or the current relationship you are in?   I encourage you to start a tradition.  It does not have to be big, elaborate, or troublesome.   Allow it to be significant enough to produce positive feelings inside of you when you think about doing it and when you remember doing it.  

The easiest tradition to start is something that only you have to participate in.  For instance, if you were start a tradition for celebrating your birthday that is something you can do every year from this day forward, what would it be?  The only difference between a ritual and a tradition is that a tradition is something that you keep remembering and repeating as way of building positive blue prints in your daily and annual life.   A ritual may be completed often and regularly or it may be something that you only do once, such as baptism.  Tradition lives on forever and sometimes even after you are long gone. 

This word deserves your reflective time, planning and preparation as you examine what it is inside of that you want to add to your life on a regular basis that will become a meaningful tradition.  Matter of fact it may take a few times of experimenting with what tradition really nourishes, feeds, and helps you feel positive.  What tradition do you want to start?