Christmas is my favorite time of year, not because of all the presents but because of the energy that seems to exist at this time of year. As much as I think the gift giving part of the holiday season has become too commercialized, I love the Christmas music and the gorgeous decorations in all the stores. I’m not one of those people though that makes myself crazy buying gifts, to me that loses the whole purpose of the holiday. I don’t make myself stressed out running all over the place or go into debt to buy tons of gifts. To me, the holiday is about spending the day with my family, eating too many desserts, listening to Christmas music and watching all the kids go crazy ripping open their gifts. Another thing I love about this time of year is New York City. Every year I go into the city to see the tree, look at all the decorated store windows, watch the people ice skate in Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park and sometimes fit a Broadway play into the day’s festivities. It’s a great way to spend a day during the holiday season.
I was trying to recall my favorite childhood memory from this time of year. I think it would have to be the family vacations to “The North Pole”. For a few years as a child, my parents brought me and my sister, along with 2 other families, which totaled 13 people altogether. The North Pole was really upstate New York but as a kid I really thought I was going to the place where Santa lived…there was even an actual pole in the middle of the “resort” made out of snow! I don’t’ remember a lot about those vacations but I remember staying in what I think was a log cabin, seeing Santa and his elves walking around, doing lots of kid oriented activities like decorating a Santa hat with my name in glitter and making various Christmas things out of those fuzzy wire pipes. That was a really nice vacation for us kids so I have to say “thank you” to my mom and dad for giving up what could have been a more “adult friendly” vacation to make memories for me and my sister at “The North Pole”.
Now, switching gears but staying in the Christmas theme, I thought I’d share some interesting fun Santa facts. Here in America, whenever we think of Santa, we think of a red and white older man with a bushy white beard and big belly who “Ho, Ho, Ho’s” down the chimney with presents in the middle of the night. Although this symbolic image is known around the world, many countries have a different image associated with the tradition of Christmas and gift giving. In Italy, La Befana is a good witch who dresses all in black and brings gifts to children on the Epiphany, 6th January. In Holland, Sinterklaas sails in on a ship arriving on the 5th of December carrying a big book which tells him how the Dutch children have behaved during the past year. Good children are rewarded with gifts and his assistant, Black Peter, takes the bad ones away. In Germany Saint Nicholas also travels with an assistant, known as Knecht Ruprecht, Krampus, or Pelzebock, and comes with a sack on his back and a rod in his hand. Good children receive a gift, but naughty children are punished by the assistant with a few hits of the rod. In many Spanish countries; Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and South America, the children wait for the Three Kings to bring their Christmas gifts. In France, Father Christmas or Pere Noel brings gifts for the children. Switzerland has the Christkindl or Christ Child who bears gifts. In some towns children await the Holy Child and in others, Christkindl is a girl-angel who comes down from heaven bearing gifts. The Scandinavian countries celebrate with an elf, called the Julenisse or the Juletomte who bears gifts. And in England Father Christmas, a more serious and thinner version of Santa Claus brings gifts. North America is really the only country that associates the red and white jolly man with his sled and reindeer flying throughout the night of December 25th.
Do you know how the St. Nicholas image came to be this image? Well, depending on your age, you may already know this, but truth be told, I had no idea until I researched it. The American Santa was done mainly by Coca-Cola, the soft drinks company. Coca-Cola was struggling to sell cold drinks in the winter season and wanted to figure out a way to associate their product with the holiday season. Santa Claus had this enormous task facing him every Christmas Eve to go around the world distributing gifts to children everywhere. Obviously from all the flying and climbing in and out of chimneys all night, Santa would get tired and thirsty, so what better idea than to have Santa taking a break in his rounds to enjoy a Coca Cola? The scene with a red and white, round belly Santa drinking a Coca-Cola became synonymous with the winter season advertisements.
So as I “wrap up” (pun intended) my blog, I thought I’d share this short but nice Christmas poem I came across.
Christmas Poem ~ by Oren Arnold
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas Day! I hope that everyone has a place to keep them warm, enough food to keep them from being hungry and family/friends to enjoy their day with.
I am INFJ…Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging. Know what this means? Well, neither did I until my Vice President came to me a few years ago asking me to observe my fellow colleagues using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator assessment. I was like….Sure! Absolutely! Yes, of course I know what that is! And then I quickly went online to gather as much information as I could to familiarize myself. Of course my VP realized I wasn’t a psychologist, nor remotely close to being able to accurately analyze their behavior, but he was looking to get a raw assessment of his team. So for an entire week during their annual sales meeting, I had to sit in the back of the room and secretly study their behavior using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator assessment. The reason I needed to “secretly” observe is so they didn’t change their normal behavior. For those of you that don’t know, like me, MBTI is a questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Many companies use the MBTI as a tool for leadership training and development.
There’s lots of literature you could read if you wanted to learn about the MBTI assessment and how to use it. But for the purpose of my blog, I’ll simply say that, basically it’s observing behavior using four attitudes: Extraversion-Introversion and Judging-Perceiving as well as four functions Sensing-Intuition and Thinking-Feeling to determine how people take in information, make decisions and deal with the outer world.
So anyway, after doing this assessment of my team, I was really interested in learning more about my own personality type. I came across this online version of the test and my results were quite interesting! I have to admit I was shocked at the accuracy of the results as I feel this is spot on to my personality. Now, I know many things can alter a test’s results such as your mood at the time of taking it, having it in paper form rather than online etc however, given that the results indicated that I am “little more than one percent of the population”…I’ll go with it! I always knew I was an original! :-).
Take the test and see what you can learn about yourself! I believe this is an abbreviated version of the true test but it’s still fun to take. http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
Here is a summary of my personality type:
Idealist Portrait of the Counselor (INFJ)
Counselors have an exceptionally strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others, and find great personal fulfillment interacting with people, nurturing their personal development, guiding them to realize their human potential. Although they are happy working at jobs (such as writing) that require solitude and close attention, Counselors do quite well with individuals or groups of people, provided that the personal interactions are not superficial, and that they find some quiet, private time every now and then to recharge their batteries. Counselors are both kind and positive in their handling of others; they are great listeners and seem naturally interested in helping people with their personal problems. Not usually visible leaders, Counselors prefer to work intensely with those close to them, especially on a one-to-one basis, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes.
Counselors are scarce, little more than one percent of the population, and can be hard to get to know, since they tend not to share their innermost thoughts or their powerful emotional reactions except with their loved ones. They are highly private people, with an unusually rich, complicated inner life. Friends or colleagues who have known them for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that Counselors are flighty or scattered; they value their integrity a great deal, but they have mysterious, intricately woven personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.
Blessed with vivid imaginations, Counselors are often seen as the most poetical of all the types, and in fact they use a lot of poetic imagery in their everyday language. Their great talent for language-both written and spoken-is usually directed toward communicating with people in a personalized way. Counselors are highly intuitive and can recognize another's emotions or intentions - good or evil - even before that person is aware of them. Counselors themselves can seldom tell how they came to read others' feelings so keenly. This extreme sensitivity to others could very well be the basis of the Counselor's remarkable ability to experience a whole array of psychic phenomena.
Mohandas Gandhi, Sidney Poitier, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Emily Bronte, Sir Alec Guiness, Carl Jung, Mary Baker Eddy, Queen Noor, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela are examples of the Counselor Idealist (INFJ).
So on this day of thanks, in spite of the current economic situation which I am feeling firsthand, there are still many things that I am thankful for…
~I am thankful for the childhood my parents provided to me. Because of it, I am a well balanced, secure and stable person.
~I am thankful that I have the knowledge and strength to consider a career change which could drastically change my future.
~I am thankful for my very large and very expanded family and the close proximity we all live to one another. I can’t imagine how life would be without all the love that fills our homes every holiday season and all year long.
~I am thankful to have so many lifelong friends from as early as grammar school for which I know, are true friends who will always be there for me.
~I am thankful for my health because I am all too familiar with how quickly this can change in a person’s life.
As you feast on your turkey with all the trimmings today, remember to give thanks to all the people or things that enrich your life.
If you’re going through tough times and having difficulty finding anything to be thankful for, look around and find at least one simple pleasure that puts a smile on your face and give thanks for that one thing. My simple pleasure is my loving and loyal dog :).
Some fun random Thanksgiving Day facts….
*U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday in 1863.
*In 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt established the current date for observance, the fourth Thursday of November.
*Approximately 46 million turkeys will end up on U.S. dinner tables this Thanksgiving.
*Minnesota is the United States's top turkey-producing state
*U.S. farmers will also produce 709 million pounds of cranberries
*The U.S. will also grow 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes and produce 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins.
*Since 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented two live turkeys—and a ready-to-eat turkey—to the President, according to federation spokesperson Sherrie Rosenblatt. "There are two birds," Rosenblatt explained, "the presidential turkey and the vice presidential turkey, which is an alternate, in case the presidential turkey is unable to perform its duties." Those duties pretty much boil down to not biting the President during the photo opportunity with the press.
*Pilgrims were familiar with turkeys before they landed in the Americas.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.
Since Veteran’s Day was just observed this week, I thought this blog would be appropriate. I recently watched a documentary on an American soldier who was called back to duty in Iraq. I have to say, it was a heart wrenching documentary to watch. He already served for 3 ½ years in Iraq and was being called back again. The camera followed him for days prior to leaving American soil, then through basic training, with a final destination in Iraq. Once in Iraq, the soldier gave the viewer a glimpse of what his daily life was like while stationed overseas. This soldier was stationed in Baghdad. The poverty stricken streets and the barricades he lived within were as scary as I had imagined. Not that I was expecting to see The Ritz Hotel, but their living quarters were nothing less than the most basic of amenities…and as shown in the video, even the basics weren’t always guaranteed. The soldier commented on how he mastered the art of showering with a water bottle because they no longer had running water in their barracks. As I was sitting in suspense the entire time he was being filmed walking through the sandy, gloomy streets of Baghdad, it was hard to remember I wasn’t watching a drama series and in fact, this was someone’s real life. Wow, the dangerous situations all soldiers put themselves in! And to think most of them volunteered! It really takes a special type of person to enlist in the military. I personally, couldn’t do it and wouldn’t want anyone close to me to enlist either.
I realize it’s important to have a military to preserve our security however I don’t necessarily agree with our military going to war to resolve conflict. I know there are so many ways to debate the issue of war that it’s a dichotomy of opinions. I’m not going to delve very deeply into my own, often contradicting beliefs on this either, because it will be a never ending blog leading to no definitive right answer. I’ll say just this. I don’t claim to know all there is to know about the war, government, the military etc. but I don’t necessarily see how invading another country to infiltrate their government (as corrupt as it might be) and impose our belief system on them, is the right way to go. I realize the fact that there is no simple answer however, attacking these countries, risking so many of our young soldiers lives, spending exorbitant amounts of our money and essentially going to war for peace ,simply cannot be the right answer.
I think if every President had to enlist in the military prior to even considering becoming a president, they might not act so quickly on emotions when sending our troops into combat. That should be a prerequisite to becoming a president…makes sense to me.
I also think more should be done for those who serve our country, especially if they go to war. I decided to look up the number of homeless soldiers living in The United States. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans is quoted as saying “Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23 percent of all homeless people in America.” There’s really nothing I can say about this other than it deeply saddens me and more should be expected of our government as it relates to the welfare of our soldiers.
I’ll end this by simply saying, to all the men and women who have served, continue to serve and who will serve our country...THANK YOU for having the courage and bravery to do so!
This is a great site I just came across. Every topic you ever wanted the answer to "how does it work"? Everything from acne treatments to NASA rockets to programming your DVR to food and on and on and on, are all answered on this site. Worth checking out!
in reference to: HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works! (view on Google Sidewiki)
Some of my favorite quotes come from Emerson, Nietzsche, Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. What makes a quote famous? Sometimes I think it’s the author of the quote and other times it’s because the quote holds significance in its meaning which the reader is able to interpret into their own life. I love quotes. A great quote is like a priceless piece of art but the art isn’t a picture, it’s words that, when put together create an eloquent statement in my opinion. The best quotes are those that get passed on throughout generations and become a type of reference to use in your daily life. Why do some quotes carry on through many lifetimes? Well because they’re TRUE! If you take the time to really read and understand some of the very many famous quotes, you’ll see just how true and fitting to life they really are and this, in my opinion, is why they will stand the test of time.
Here is a compilation of some of my favorite quotes from various authors…Enjoy!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~Maya Angelou
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” ~Dr.Seuss
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” ~Winston Churchill
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~E.E. Cummings
"Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~Thomas Edison
“Don’t make someone a priority when you’re only their option.” ~Author Unknown
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people." ~Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” ~Maya Angelou
"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." ~Thomas Edison
“Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” ~Garth Brooks
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” ~Mark Twain
“Well done is better than well said.” ~Benjamin Franklin
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland
"Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted." ~Albert Einstein
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks, he becomes.” ~Gandhi
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” ~John Powell
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
“It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.” ~Author Unknown
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
“Be the change you want to see in this world.” ~Gandhi
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“There are no facts, only interpretations.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
“No matter where you go, there you are.” ~Confucius
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." ~Socrates
“We must be our own before we can be another's.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” ~Albert Einstein
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” ~Maya Angelou
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Gandhi
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” ~Robert Byrne
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