Maybe it’s just me but I don’t sense much enthusiasm for Halloween this year. I admit I’m not the all-out Halloween-Girl (look masks scare me okay) but I have enjoyed the party atmosphere and looking at other people in costume. We’ve tried to ask those of you that call in about what parties you’ll be attending and what you’re going to dress up as but the response has been tepid at best. I get the feeling that the less-than-stellar economy is affecting people’s usual party mood this time of year. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

In an attempt to find a silver lining I will say this…holidays this year will give us a chance to get back to basics in terms of what these holidays are really about, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Hold up, before you want to point out some unpleasant  history or how everyone doesn’t celebrate Christmas hear me out. I am writing from my personal experience. If you want to weigh in with thoughts about other holidays I would love to read what you have to say, e-mail me maria@movin 99.com)

Allright, back to my point. This year many of us have suffered setbacks (some more than others) but we are still here. You may not have your job, but hopefully you have your health and family and friends that love you. If you have those you have a lot of what you need to get through a personal crisis. I’m not trying to be too sentimental but I almost lost my Dad this year. We have never been real close but his health crisis brought us closer and brought me closer to his side of the family. I am thankful for that and for what time we have left together. I’m not above liking and wanting “stuff” and lots of it but at the end of the day NOTHING I own is worth what my family and friends are worth to me.

As the holiday season approaches, yes times are a bit leaner, costumes may have to be made not bought, the feast may be a bit smaller and the gifts fewer but we should still be joyful because the one thing that hopefully has increased is the love in your life. Because the more love you have, the more you have to share and that’s the real reason for the season. Boo, Thanks and Blessings to you all now and in the coming year!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 7:19 pm and is filed under Maria. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.