Is all merry and cheery and bright?

Holiday season is upon us once more

Oh God no, they are here again. The holidays. All that food and those relatives you only see once a year. Are you ready?

I was just getting used to the skinny, no, skinnier me, now all this food temptation will need to be overcome. For me, I have three Thanksgiving meals this week alone—one Native American, one with veterans, and finally, on Saturday, one with my family. With obligations of diplomacy, it gets to be almost an occupation with many controversies to deal with this year.

Six months I have toiled to take off that 22 to 25 pounds of human lard and now the holidays have come back around with all that food again. Turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, I can feel those skin folds filling with fat again. Worse yet, the holidays mean cold weather walking for exercise or the dreaded gym with all those other people.

As if all this wasn’t depressing enough, there is SAD (Seasonally Affective Disorder) that hits one right between the ears, making you glad as hell you don’t live another 30 degrees north. I’m sure glad I have my heat lamp outside my basement shower; it doesn’t do much for the SAD, but it is a bright light that others do not get the pleasure of enjoying.

Oh heck, I’ll bet some of you are actually looking forward to all this holiday cheer. People saying all those nice things to you, eating all the food mom and grandma cooked, and even getting all those expensive and thoughtful gifts you don’t really need. You might even find seeing and talking to all those long-lost relatives a pleasant experience.

While it is great to poke a little fun at the holidays, it can be a time of great anxiety for many of us.

From family problems to financial problems, holidays can seem to make a person’s troubles seem so much worse than they are. When you can’t afford to give a gift, it can be hard to accept one. When that disagreement with your brother undermines family unity, hurting your mother deeply, you must take ownership of your part. When you supported Bernie and your dad supported Trump, you may have to bite your lip. Holidays really can become obstacles in our lives to be overcome, instead of the happy times we need.

We regular humans, with our mortal problems, can undermine the happiness and memories these occasions should bring. So how do we set aside our pain and make the best of what we have? The simplest answer is to concentrate on the people you love and want to see. Practice being nice by willing yourself not to be drawn into “the dark side.”

Let those attempts to distract you roll off and refuse to engage in the negative. Concentrate instead on the positive way you would like things to be and do your part to make it happen. Partner with the peaceful and make every effort to reduce tension your goal as well. Remember, happiness is a state of mind, and only you own control your state of mind.

Enjoy your holiday, work to build up those around you, and may peace be with you this holiday season.