It is early December and I am sitting here organizing my thoughts for our December newsletter. Typically, selecting a topic for our newsletter, and organizing my thoughts comes quite naturally.

This month is different. For the past few days I have been struggling to identify a suitable topic. I realized that the holiday season is a unique time and apparently I am already captivated by it.

Pondering the significance of the holiday season in our culture, I started wondering:

• What do the "holidays"mean to people today?
• For many people today, the holiday season is a secular event; eventhough the foundation is tied to religious events. To what extent has the religious past, influenced our"feelings" today?
• Or is it just another break from our daily routine and an excuse to party?

Sharing my thoughts with some friends and relatives created a very complex and confusing picture. As we experience this holiday season, there is panoply of emotions and significance. It is simultaneously a time of:

• Tradition - remembering the past, and passing it along to the next generation
• Happiness - sharing with family and friends
• Reflection - for past, present and future
• Thoughtfulness - of new beginnings and planning for the new year
• Melancholy - for those we have lost, who no longer physically share the season with us
• Sadness - for missed opportunities that we can never get back
• Loneliness - for those without family
• Reconnecting - with old friends and community to help bind us together
• Thankfulness and giving to others - with no expectation
• Dreams - and hopes to be realized in the future
• Expressed humanity - without society's judgment
• Stress - from society's, families' and personal unmet expectations
• Celebration - excuse to party every night and its okay

Someone said it quite poignantly, it's a "reset" button without guilt. We accept what is, enjoy the moment and reflect about making it better for the next year. Regardless of background or current beliefs; some of the historic foundations for the holidays are with us today. It isn't just another break from our routine, we look forward to it. And we are just as happy when the New Year starts.

Whatever feelings and significance the holidays inspire in you, whether on the list or off, my holiday wish for you is that you hit the reset button without guilt. Reset both personally and professionally. Enjoy the season to its fullest. Take from it what you need. Give to others what you wish. Accept what is, and chart a better tomorrow! Have a Happy, Peaceful, and Safe Holiday!

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