The next two weeks are, for many, a time of great joy and for some, extremely stressful. The Holiday shopping season can be quite overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time. Many travel far and wide to get together with family and friends to exchange gifts and good cheer. I hope you and yours have a wonderful celebration, and I would like to add just a few tidbits to keep in mind to help keep you safe and sound:

This time of year, even the best of us come under a little pressure. We ask ourselves, “What is the perfect gift for my loved one? How do I top last year’s present?” We’ve all been there….seen the face that sometimes is disappointed in our choices, when perhaps the simplest gifts have the most impact. The rare, the unique, the personal ones always ring true. It could be a long lost photograph, a favorite book, or a collection of memories…these gifts can last for years.

Meeting family and friends that you only see about once a year can indeed be wonderful, and sometimes a little scary. The days leading up to the encounters, we may find ourselves a little absent minded, making common mistakes, or a feeling that there’s not enough time in the day. Relax….this is all quite normal. As the saying goes, try to take it all “one step at a time,” and, by the way, a deep breath here and there doesn’t hurt either!:)

Wherever your travels make take you, try the best you can to stay alert and watch out for the other guy’s potential mistake. It’s important that wherever you travel, be it land, sea or air, that you arrive safely. As you may love and need others, so they may love and need you too.

What astounds me each year at this time is the feeling that we are saying good-bye to one year, and hello to another. Father Time marches on…presenting us with a new year of blank pages to write our story upon. Each one of us are unique…one of a kind….the world has never seen before, and will never see again. Enjoy life….as much as possible.

Last but not least, let’s not forget this is a Holy Season. The whole purpose of celebration is to remember that something greater than us all, exists. The birth of a child over two thousand years ago still gives hope to many that one day, this world can become the paradise it is intended to be.

Happy Holidays,
and may You and Yours have a Blessed and Enlightened 2004,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2003 Jennifer Avalon