f you are facing loneliness, family conflict, or illness during your holiday twilight years, where can you find joy? Here are some simple suggestions to brighten the Thanksgiving—Christmas—New Years stretch of time.
Children
Photo by __ drz __ on Unsplash
The joy of little children during the holidays is contagious. Spend some time with little ones. If you have no little ones available to be with perhaps a neighbor or friend might make you part of their holiday celebration if you asked. Perhaps you could Face Time or Zoom to see the joy of Christmas or Hanukah on their faces.
Children and the holidays is a recipe for moments of joy.
Nature
Photo by Niilo Isotalo on Unsplash
If you are able, bundle up and take a walk outside. Hear the geese flying overhead. See the snow fall. Notice the trees reaching up to the sky. Watch the squirrels scurrying here and there. There are many nature programs on TV offering up-close encounters with wildlife on the ground, in the air, and in the water.
When I visited people in their homes as a hospice chaplain, a woman whose memory was rapidly deteriorating and was housebound, had a bird feeder outside her living room window that she could see from her recliner. She had a guidebook of birds she marked with every kind of bird that visited the feeder which her husband kept stalked with seed.
During the holidays, let the wonders of nature put a smile on your face and a little joy in your heart.
Music
Getty Images for Unsplash+
Christmas carols, Handel’s Messiah, holiday concerts. What music lifts your spirits?
Recently I listened to the “James Taylor at Christmas” album and found myself singing with along with many of the classic Christmas songs: “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Go Tell it On the Mountain,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” took me from a somber to lighter mood.
Listen to your holiday favorites to find a little joy.
Classic Holiday Movies
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “A Christmas Story,” “Miracle on 34th St,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Home Alone.”
Watching holiday movies provide good memories and laughs.
Old Friends
Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash
Do you have an old friend you haven’t seen or talked to in years? The holidays are a fine time to catch up with each other.
A phone call to an old friend can provide a much needed human connection during lonely holiday times.
These are only a few suggestions to brighten difficult holidays. What are your suggestions? I’d love to here them!
Jim Cyr is a trained spiritual companion who helps older adults reflect on the meaning of their lives and how God has been present or absent as they face the challenges of aging and end of life.