Holiday Lessons Learned

ArchAngel Raphael taught me a thing or two one year around the holidays and I thought you might appreciate his lesson. Holidays are very bittersweet for us. Since we lost our daughter, decorating has been tough because she used to help me and she loved it SO much! I love it once it's all up but doing it used to sap all my energy.

Imagine my surprise that particular year when Raphael dropped in and said, "Has it ever occurred to you that you are working with really old energy here?" What? This is supposed to be a happy time and our house is frequently cleared of old energy. What do you mean? I know the holidays can get me down and sometimes I feel depressed just thinking about them but I truly have no idea what you're talking about here. "You pull all of this Christmas out once a year and then you put it up quickly when the holiday is over. Has it ever occurred to you how much energy each thing carries? All those ornaments you handmade for years for the children, all the needlepoint you worked on, every single thing you are pulling out of a box - from ornaments to decorations - is covered in priceless memories, both happy and some sad."

Gulp. I, who prided myself on keeping high energy in our home, was schooled! I was overwhelmed by all that energy! It made total sense once he told me about it. We worked together and cleansed everything. I am fortunate that I am a Reiki healer so I was able to infuse it with Reiki too! You can cleanse your holiday decorations as well with many methods, including smudging and sound.

On top of the lesson above, a few years ago, Tricia (our deceased daughter) came through to me during the holidays and asked me WHY I kept anything that was making me sad. That was a tough year! I actually released a lot of holiday decorations then that just made me particularly sad, especially our kids' childhood stockings. I offered them first to our other child but they didn't want them. Nobody actually wanted these things (they had moved on) except I thought I had to keep them for the memories incurred. Tricia pointed out to me that those memories were held in happier things like some of the ornaments we painted together. I took a picture of those stockings and I let them go. I actually burned them in a ceremony to honor them.

Do YOU have a hard time during the holidays? If so, I would urge you to cleanse your holiday decorations first thing. I cannot tell you what a tangible difference it made in our home. My husband and I were able to decorate the tree quickly instead of taking forever because we were so bogged down in memory with each ornament. I would also urge you to look at what makes you sad. If it is a tangible thing you can touch, perhaps you will not be ready to get rid of it this year, but I would at least urge you not to put it out this season and see how you feel next year. You could even offer it to someone else. They might cherish it or even repurpose it!

My father gave me my grandparents' old silver service. He had never used it. I didn't want it but neither did anyone else in my family. I knew I wouldn't use it, even for special occasions. I then decided to repurpose it! I had both pitchers in the set converted to mobiles (for want of a better word). Now they are both out year-round and our entire family enjoys them! They bring such joy to me when I see them and I always think of my grandparents too!

If you struggle during the holidays, please know that you are not alone. You are in my prayers. Do something different this year if you are sad. You are the author of your story! Make this season one that brings you joy!

Until next time, why don't you share something you plan to do differently this holiday season?