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Feeling of belongingness
And what makes it so quintessentially special is the sense of belonging. In cities, we might go through our own individual lives throughout the year, but come festival time and bang, the community wakes up. It wakes up with such pageantry and ceremony that you have no option but to celebrate life along with everybody.
What’s the big deal, you could be thinking. But that is precisely the point. It is a very big deal. The notion of ‘social capital’ (meaning increased community involvement and participation) has recently received increasing attention in health research. High levels of social capital have been linked to lower mortality rates, lower rates of youth crime and increased perceptions of positive health.
A survey of 25 years of research conducted by Canada Community Health Survey (2005) clearly indicated a causal association between social relationships and health. People who were socially isolated and had few social ties were more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health and were more likely to die prematurely.
Time to give and love
Building the Festive Spirit
* Involve children as much as possible in your preparations. Let them make their own Christmas decorations, for instance.
* Involve teenagers by giving them responsibilities and letting them take the lead. A shared sense of well-being with their families and community can give them a healthy dose of values.
* Personalized gifts—a handcrafted card, or even a small poem— could make an amazing difference.
* Open your hearts to friends, family, neighbors and colleagues, and organize interesting potluck treats.
* This is also the season for forgiveness. Let go of old grudges that are draining out your energy and reach out to old friends or estranged family members.
* Festival time can be quite difficult if you have recently experienced a loss. However, I would suggest you do not shut your doors to happiness this season. Make it low profile, but do not isolate yourself. You never know what joys might be waiting for you.
Finally, I urge you to put aside a few moments for the lacs of homeless children in our cities. In your rush to distribute gifts to friends and family, do stop and think about them. Perhaps, keep a bag of goodies in the car for them. If the full beam smile is not enough to set your spirits soaring, remember that by giving them something small you could be giving yourself one of the greatest gifts of the season.