Savoring the Spirit of Christmas: How to Extend the Joy Beyond December

Peggie Kirkland  0:04  
Welcome to the Momma's Motivational Messages podcast, where women learn to stop putting themselves on the back burner, and start paying attention to caring for themselves first, so they can be better for everyone else in their lives. I know you'll be inspired by the stories of resiliency and starting over of health and self healing, of gaining clarity through journaling, of showing self love through world travel, and the list goes on. I encourage you to relax and enjoy. I'm your host Peggie, Kirkland, PK. 

Peggie Kirkland  0:43  
HI y'all Yes, I know, I've been missing in action for a minute. I know, that hiatus that I started lasted much, much longer than I intended. And truthfully, I've been beating myself up about not publishing new episodes. But you know, there were so many other things that became priorities. And sometimes it was just basic stuff. Like keeping my home clean and organized, paying my bills on time, hello, somebody; staying in touch with people that I care about, or it was getting ready for the holidays. And sometimes it was major stuff. like, you know, supporting family members and friends who are going through traumatic life events. Listen, I know you know what I'm talking about. But I'm here now. And I believe that there's no time like the present. So here's today's episode. 

Peggie Kirkland  1:56  
Now, for anyone who loves loves, loves, loves, loves Christmas, like I do, you just might be going through some post holiday blues because once you take the decorations down, and start putting them away, if you're like me, you haven't finished putting them away just yet. And ther are  no more holiday tunes on the radio or Christmas movies. Now granted, you can access that from streaming platforms anytime of the year. But it's no longer bombarding you day in and day out, night and night out. So all of those things are no longer in your face. But just because that's not the case, it doesn't mean that you have to lose the joy of Christmas. In fact, you know, you really can incorporate the essence of Christmas, the spirit of Christmas, into your everyday lives. 

Peggie Kirkland  3:01  
And what I mean by that is, you know how, during the holidays, everyone is so grateful and showing gratitude. Well showing gratitude is not just for the holidays, being charitable, is not just for the holidays, being kind, being joyful that should not just be for the holidays.  The warmth and the cheer of Christmas, that is something you can embrace throughout the year, and something that you can share with others. So today, I'm going to share with you three ways in which you can continue to embrace the essence of Christmas throughout the year. 

Peggie Kirkland  3:45  
Number one, you can start a gratitude journal. Anytime you start a new habit, there is the tendency to stop after you've done it a few times. And so I started this on January 1. And the way I keep myself doing this is that I make a journal entry before I even get out of bed. While I'm still under the covers, I take my phone, and I write in my electronic journal, something that I feel grateful for. And I don't make it lengthy. Sometimes, listen, the gratitude is just pouring out of me and I just let it rip. But otherwise, I just make a one sentence journal entry. And this way, I don't allow myself to get distracted by those shiny objects that you see as soon as you get out of bed. So this way, I get to start my day off on a positive note, because I focus for a little while on either a small blessing or some significant accomplishment, but I don't overwhelm myself. by writing more than one thing that I'm grateful for. If you nurture this habit, you can really create a feeling of joy. Because that's what happens when you take time to focus on the things in your life that you're appreciative of. Because we all know that there are a lot of things that make you negative, and create a negative energy field around you. So any opportunity that you can take to focus on what's positive, and to really widen the positive energy field around you, it's a good thing. Right now, I'm feeling really grateful for this opportunity to share my passion for inspiring others to see light at the end of the tunnel, when they're trying to overcome challenges in life. So that's something that I feel really, really grateful for, in this moment. 

Peggie Kirkland  6:06  
The second thing that you can do is to schedule quality time with your loved ones. And you know, quality time is not something that happens. It's something you have to schedule. And funnily enough, I just got a phone call from a friend that I hadn't heard from, since the holidays, and we communicate pretty frequently. And I sent a text about almost 10 days ago, inquiring into his health, and I hadn't heard anything else, I was starting to think that I should get in touch with mutual friends to find out if he was okay. And I just got a phone call from him, which I was very happy to receive. I was a little saddened by the list of other things that he told me got in the way of him communicating that he was okay with me. 

Peggie Kirkland  7:09  
And this is really what happens. If you don't schedule time for your loved ones, the people you care about, if you're not intentional about making time for your family and friends, whether it's through visiting them, or through video phone calls, or just simply sending one of those online greeting cards, to let them know that you're thinking about them, and that you care, and that, you know, you want to maintain the connection, it is not going to happen, because life gets in the way. And we prioritize other things, this is what happens. So don't let that happen to you. Schedule quality time with your loved ones. 

Peggie Kirkland  8:06  
And number three, you can extend this feeling, that Christmas feeling by just engaging in random acts of kindness. You know, one thing that I always enjoy is how kind people are to each other during the holidays, people will give you their place online, if you just have one item, and they have several; you will find more of that during the holidays, someone might reach into their pocket and give you, if you're short, a couple of dollars even someone might reach into their pockets and say ah forget about it. 

Peggie Kirkland  8:50  
I love hearing the cashiers when they say happy holidays to you because you don't find that any other time. In fact, there are times in the year when they're, you know, they may be having a hard day and they can be a little rough with customers. But during the holidays, it just seems like everyone is drinking from the same cup of joy, if you will. And you feel it in the air and it really does something to you inside. It gives you that sense of joy, just because it's that time of year. But what if we could extend that? What if we can just be kind to each other without waiting for a holiday to do that? What about if we are thoughtful toward each other? What about if we just embrace kindness throughout our daily lives? wouldn't wouldn't we feel better and wouldn't the world be a better place? Think about that. 

Peggie Kirkland  10:02  
So those are my three tips for extending that feeling, the essence, the spirit of Christmas, beyond Christmas, the first thing that you can do is start a gratitude journal. The fact that we are several weeks into the new year doesn't mean that you can't start, start your gratitude journal and make it a daily routine, it's going to help you to focus on what you have, instead of what you're lacking, what's missing in your life, it'll give you an opportunity to really look within and say, Wow, I have a lot to be grateful for. 

Peggie Kirkland  10:45  
The second thing you can do is schedule quality time with the people you love and the people you care about. You're going to feel good about it,an they're going to feel good about it. And you're going to know that you're building community, and that you have a support system that you can call on when you are in need. It's a really hard thing to call on people that you've ignored for a long time when you're in need. Think about that. 

Peggie Kirkland  11:16  
And finally, try doing some random acts of kindness. You know, and it doesn't have to be anything major, it could be something as simple as dropping a card in your neighbor's mailbox that just says, Have a lovely day. Calling someone you haven't spoken to in a while and saying, you know, I saw something that I know you love, and I bought it for you ; can't wait to give it to you. It doesn't matter. Small acts of kindness go a long, long way. In fact, research shows that we can transform our lives by reducing our own stress levels, and improving our overall well being when we make a conscious effort to keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the year. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, start that journal. Don't forget to call or write or text the people you love and care about and figure out what your next random act of kindness will be. 

Peggie Kirkland  12:33  
If you've been inspired and encouraged by the positive messages in today's show, please take a moment to rate and review the show on Apple podcast. This will help to keep the show alive. And remember, sharing is caring. So don't forget to share these gems with friends and family strangers to if you like, let them know it's available wherever they listen to their podcast. I'm counting on you to share the love. Until next time. This is PK sending you much light and a whole lot of love.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai