As my family has said over the years “Christmas is all blown out for another year.” The tree will remain lit for a few more days, but the holiday has come to a close. Luckily, the photos will live on and will help decorate our tree next year.
What will stick out for me is the simple pleasure of smiles on the faces of my family. First, I captured some great smiles on the faces of my kids as they opened their gifts. I am lucky that the childhood joy of a tree surrounded by gifts has not escaped them in their teenage years. I am just as lucky that the Christmas spirit runs strong in my sister whose enthusiasm is contagious.
As I looked at the pictures of their smiles, the power of them truly overwhelmed me. To me, those smiles are what the holidays are about. As much as I know it to be true, I can forget how powerful smiles are.
Psychologists have found that the physical act of smiling improves our mood. Contributing to someone else’s smile has similar effects. It takes us away from our own thoughts and focuses us on joy. The key is to be mindful of the joy represented.
While smiling has mood enhancing benefits, the benefits of laughter are even greater and longer-lasting. With respect to our mental health, laughter reduces stress, improves mood and improves resiliency. Physically, it boosts immunity, lowers stress hormones, decreases pain and helps prevent heart disease. Finally, the social benefits include strengthening relationships, enhancing teamwork, reducing conflict and promotes bonding.
It is with this scientific information that I present the best part of my Christmas holiday…three generations of family watching the movie “A Bad Mom’s Christmas.”
Some of you may have seen this movie. If not, for the sake of your mental, physical and social health, I highly recommend incorporating it into your Christmas traditions.
I honestly don’t know whether the movie was actually that funny, or whether it was the reactions of everyone reacting to each other’s mix of laughter and discomfort. I am now questioning whether you have truly had a meaningful holiday if you did not watch grandparents laugh so hard, they teared up as they sat in the same room as their teenaged grandson watching potentially inappropriate humor.
For me, lasting Christmas memories were made.
The laughter and smiles we shared over the simple pleasures of family time will carry me into the New Year with a smile. Those smiles and laughs were my favorite holiday gift.
Hello Alisa!
Small reader interface comment here: If you read this blog entry as a reader and not an administrator, you will see that the paragraphs in the beginning have a ‘double space’ it seems between them, and then somehow the later ones no longer have such a substantial gap between them. I was wondering if you would be willing to keep the gaps between paragraphs less great as it is easier to read.
Thank you and I hope that you did not get all too much snow this past weekend in CT!
Oops- it is the opposite “gapping” than how I explained it.
Regardless, thank you again for the time you take to write this blog. I await your reflections and advice/suggestions with great anticipation and feel like you and I see things similarly (New Year’s will I stay awake?). Your tone always strikes just the right chord!