I created this list of things to embrace during the holiday season with the goal of bringing you a smile and;

A dose of perspective!

Sometimes we forget some really important things . . .

Today, our goal is to recapture them!

Please pass this along and let’s spread a little holiday cheer!

Any who . . .

1. Go Elf yourself by clicking HERE

2. Why not listen to some holiday music by clicking HERE.

3. Commit to laughing your ass off at least once a day. Do this via a comedy playlist on Spotify or YouTube. Once you do that, make sure you help others do the same! We’ve all been tad on edge lately and laughter is good for the soul!

4. Anyone else think that it was a bit f*cked up that “Mommy was kissing Santa Clause” I think I was like 35 when I realized, SPOILER ALERT, they were referring to dad.

5. Forgive someone and then make a note of how much lighter it feels when you move on with your life!

6. Be a kid again. I won’t tell anyone! FYI: For years, my wife and I would make sure we gave each other one toy at Christmas as a reminder to be a kid. I think I need to get back to that this year. How about you?

7. Understand that other than the “5 Golden Rings” in The 12 Days of Christmas, someone basically cleaned out their attic and was trying to unload junk. I mean what am I supposed to do with a bunch of Lords a leaping? Screw it; just put it over there next to the swans a swimming, Jackass!

8. Sing along to a holiday song. Rinse and repeat!

9. Take a co-worker out to lunch or coffee . . . just because. Can’t because of the pandemic? How about sending them lunch and you do it virtually?

10. Between now and year end include messages of hope and inspiration in your social networking status updates.

11. Grab a hot chocolate and look at some Christmas lights. Out here on Long Island, there are displays you can drive-thru for a small fee. My wife and I are doing that for date night this week.

12. Say a prayer for someone. Please mention me while you’re at it . . . I could use some good press 

13. Want to feel “wealthy” this holiday season? Give! Give of your time, your attention, your kind words, your support, encouragement, and by all means, money to your favorite charities. You do know they’re hurting this year, right?

14. Take at least one opportunity to bite your tongue.

15. Over tip someone who deserves it. Your server was hit hard during the pandemic!

16. Listen to the Ave Maria and then acknowledge a truly beautiful song! Go tell your ego to leave the room and have a good cry while you’re at it. Your secret is safe with me!

17. Be extra careful on the roads this time of year. Not only are people drinking and driving but they are distracted a bit more than usual. While we’re at it, refrain from that honking of the horn, extending of the middle finger, and retaliatory measures when you encounter a dipsh*t! I live in New York and it’s been a struggle so far!

18. Understand that laughing at the song “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” is sick! Would you really laugh if your Grandmother got run over by a reindeer? What’s next? Grandpa got his nuts caught in a turbine? Actually, that would be funny. I might write that song!

19. Forgive your parents already. Like they didn’t forgive you for dopey stuff you did?

20. Evict negativity from your life. Seek out good. It’s there, I promise! Hint: It’s super hard to find it when you’re a cranky pants!

21. Fun Fact: Lucille Ball from that show “I love Lucy” had a “Christmas Room” in her home that was decorated year-round. She’d visit that room ofter, especially when she was feeling down. Not sure why I shared this with you but hey, if this ever comes up during a trivia game, you’re welcome!

22. Watch this important clip and then tell me who was the better dude. Heatmeiser or Snowmeiser.  I will tell you all straight up that I laughed so hard I cried with my Mom the first time I saw this! I lost my mom in 2012 and still think of her every time I watch this scene.

23. Tell a loved one how much they mean to you. Unfortunately, there’s an expiration date on this crazy thing we call life! And if by chance you lost that person . . . find a way to honor them!

24. Ready to get your mind blown? Read the lyrics to “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” and then prepare for a good cry when I tell you what inspired that poem. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s son was killed in the American Civil War and it was his way of expressing despair, anger, and questioning his faith in the process.

It kind of makes your complaint about having to stop by Aunt Sadie’s on Christmas look like baby sh*t next to his tragedy, huh? Here are the lyrics, get your Kleenex.

25. Plan a family night. Play a board game, watch a holiday movie, break out the old family videos, break bread together!

26. Find something inspirational and then pass it to your network because quite frankly, we all need some positivity right now.

27. Encourage someone. It’s free! While we’re at it, keep an eye out for those who are struggling right now and offer them a little encouragement too!

28. Answer this question:

What am I most grateful for?

Take inventory and count all your blessings.

29. Stop striving for Norman Rockwell Christmas moments. Understand that the beauty of his art was in capturing the chaos and even celebrating it. Might be a lesson in that crazy thought.

30. Donate some food to your local food pantry. They get hit hard this time of year under normal circumstances, this year they’ve depleted their reserves!

31. Change the words to one of your favorite holiday songs. Personally, I like singing “Walking in my winter underwear” to the tune of “Walking in a winter wonderland”. I’ve even changed lyrics to things I could never share here.

32. Commit to wearing your spirit on your sleeve!

33. If you have stepped away from your faith . . . step back. By the way, I did and I was a fool for thinking I would travel my life’s journey without it! I’ll spare you the sermon, but I feel much better after setting my “Spiritual GPS” to the on position!

34. Listen to the lyrics of “We wish you a Merry Christmas” and then ask yourself What’s the deal with that Figgy Pudding and who the hell do they think they are threatening us that “We won’t go until we get some” I wish the person who wrote that song would have stepped back to realize that people are willing to get indignant over a Baileys or a hot chocolate, but a figgy pudding? Don’t have any, but help yourself to those Lords a leaping over there instead skipper!

35. Sing a duet of “Baby it’s cold outside” and then realize that the atrocity that just occurred with your singing is precisely why you both need to keep working your day jobs. By the way, how cool was it when Will Ferrell sang that in Elf with that quirky chick in the shower?

36. Stay away from the news. Take it in bite sized pieces. They make mega bucks with negativity . . . you don’t!

37. Find a way to create a memory and then visit that memory often! Someday you will refer to today as “The good old days” Make it count!

38. 101 Christmas Videos can be viewed online by clicking HERE

39. Go on a date with your spouse. Sometimes we get so caught up in year end, quotas, pandemics, etc. that we forget about the really important sh*t!

40. Take a virtual tour of someplace with lots of snow and amazing scenery. Crank up the holiday music and serve it up with a side order of egg nog baby!

41. If you tend to get sad this time of year, interrupt that pattern with things that bring you laughter and joy. Easy for me to say? Not really! When I was 22, I learned that my dad had 3 months to live during the Christmas season. It took some doing, but I learned to change how I was associating the holidays. If a dumbass like me can do, well, all I can say, is you got this, my friend!

42. When you find yourself in an exceptionally good mood;

Don’t ever let anyone take your joy away from you.

Let’s pinkie swear on it!

43. Find a way to make someone look like a rock star today, just because.

44. If you have the means to secretly help someone in need, this is the year to do it.

45. Catch up with someone you lost touch with. Please do this today after you read this. Life is short! A few years back, I reconnected with a dear friend (and the drummer in my band from the 80’s) Can’t even begin to tell you how awesome this has been!

46. There are 11 towns in the US named “Santa Claus”. I’m only sharing that because I set the bar too damn high in telling you I had 50 things. What was I thinking?

47. Let someone know they inspired you! We all want to know that we matter to someone else!

48. Try to do some of your holiday shopping at a “Mom and Pop”establishment. It’s a great way to stimulate your local economy and they’re the ones with the bloodied noses right now!

49. Make conversation with a stranger. A few years ago, someone did this with me. They never knew it, but I had the weight of the world on my shoulders as my wife was having surgery during a brief battle with breast cancer. We are all fighting battles, demons, and all kinds of things we hide from the world. As I write this, I realize that I’m going to need to do a better job with this one. How about you?

50. Watch It’s A Wonderful Life and then acknowledge that it truly is!

I hope in some crazy way this has brought you a smile, a tear, and a renewed sense of holiday spirit!

Please pass this along to your coworkers, your friends, family, your network.

Let’s do our best to lift others during this difficult time!