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when i can, one of my favorite ways to start the day is to drive my son to high school.  can he drive himself? absolutely.  but the truth is, i treasure the time with nicholas, who is already halfway through his junior year. for the twenty minutes we are in the car, we really talk, person to person, about a wide range of subjects both big and small.  since the time he was a little boy, nick has always been thoughtful, empathetic toward others and cognizant of the bigger picture.  i enjoy hearing his perspective so our car time is that much more precious to me. 

shortly after pulling out of the driveway, i asked nick what the term “holiday spirit” meant to him.  his answer, “to me, it really comes down to the generosity of the human spirit and realizing how interconnected we really are.”    this inspired me to dig deeper and investigate more.

 since the time he was a little boy, nick has always been introspective, empathetic and thoughtful.  it’s so true that our children are our best teachers.

i thought about nicholas’s response all day and asked myself: what are the specific experiences that cause us, as human beings, to be filled with overwhelming feelings of abundance, hope, joy, and love, the essential components of the holiday spirit? the most important follow-up question loomed: were these experiences limited to the holidays only?  i didn’t think so but i thought i’d pose the question to my philosophy/QVC facebook friends.  so recently, i simply asked:

                                              “what fills you with the most holiday spirit?”

the posts immediately began to come and each inspired me, filling me with even more holiday spirit than i expected.  as i looked at the individual and collective commentary, all of them had to do with specific experiences and people.

my best initial takeaway is that the very things that provide feelings of “peace on earth, good will toward men” and make us feel “merry and bright” are free of charge and readily accessible to all.  every response fell into one of these four themes:

#1 sights and sounds of the season:   environment played a huge factor in feeling the holiday spirit.  one person, michelle, sent an exquisite photograph of the holiday trees that she decorates in her church; this annual tradition of creating beauty for others to enjoy fills her with the holiday spirit. for another michele, some of her favorite sights and sounds include: “hearing church choirs, singing carols, seeing snow fall and the stillness you ‘hear’ after; holiday feel-good movies, the scent of cookies coming out of the oven, (and) colorful lights of all sorts popping up everywhere.”

 at holiday time, i love to create warmth and beauty in our home by combining meaningful objects, candles and living plants .

philosophy girl, michelle, creates beauty by decorating her church 

#2 the act of giving: diane from new jersey cited “giving is the best part of the holiday season for me…whether it be gifts, holiday cookies or our annual christmas card.”  robin feels the holiday spirit when she is “volunteering at my grandson’s school”.  katie derives joy from “looking at all of the angel trees in my area and seeing how each tag gets filled throughout the season.  i have to say that i sometimes wonder if they’ll all ever get filled, but they somehow do.  it refills my faith in humanity.”

 during the holidays, i love to connect with our annual family christmas card.  i handwrite each one and try to convey to each recipient a happy shared memory and why we are grateful to have them in our lives.  it feels me with the holiday spirit

#3 spending time with family and friends:  participants were unified in opinion that being in the company of those you love is what fills them with the holiday spirit.  philosophy boy, thomas, wisely pointed out that friends and family don’t necessarily have to be in your presence:  “receiving holiday cards from far away friends” provides great delight as he “enjoys all the sentiments the cards convey” because they are “special gifts from the heart.”  patricia shared:  “just spending time with the family, laughing, telling stories and making new memories all at the same time” is what fills her with joy.   kelly agreed, noting that she treasures moments with family and friends.

#4 seeing the magic of the season through the eyes of another:  philosophy girl, carla, feels the holiday spirit when she sees “hope in the eyes of someone who has every reason to despair and feel hopeless…i saw it in the eyes of a woman in her late forties who suddenly discovered that she was pregnant after years of trying.  i treasure the times that i’ve seen it.  when i have, it’s washed over me with this sense of jubilation and renewal in my own heart. that look of hope, that optimism in the face of the impossible – that’s a gift to the whole world because it means there is something more than that which can be touched or tasted, decorated or gift wrapped – it means there is something intangible and inexplicably glorious in the universe, even in the face of daily headlines and the turmoil in which we find ourselves.” many philosophy girls cited the fact that seeing the world through a child’s eyes, at holiday time, is what fills them with the holiday spirit:  “seeing and feeling the magical holiday spirit through the eyes of my little one...warms my heart in the biggest way.”

one conversation on the way to school spurned a number of conversations about what it is that makes us feel the holiday spirit.  i’m richer for it and i hope that you are too.  my gift to you and me is a “to do” list of how i plan to incorporate the holiday spirit into every day of 2016.  i hope that it inspires you.

my recipe for well-being in 2016

may your days be merry and bright,

with love and my very best to you and your family,

heidi

Heidi Guest has been a cosmetic executive for over 25 years. Today, she is the On-Air Media Spokesperson for philosophy, a lifestyle brand that focuses on causes benefiting the mental health and well-being of women. Married to her college sweetheart for the past 29 years, Heidi is the proud mother of Caitlin, 23, and Nicholas, 17. A San Francisco native, who has lived with her family in the New York metropolitan area for many years, Heidi and her family currently live in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Active in local and national philanthropic efforts that support women, children and families, Heidi's greatest passion is helping others live into their full potential both personally and professionally.