{"id":3182,"date":"2018-07-16T14:10:43","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T14:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=3182"},"modified":"2023-11-16T11:33:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T16:33:49","slug":"christmas-in-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/christmas-in-july\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas in July","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a reason Christmas is often known as the \u201cmost wonderful time of the year.\u201d For that one day, it seems everyone is just a little nicer, a little kinder and a little more gentle. If the kids misbehave, well no one really wants to yell at them on Christmas Day. If your spouse gets in the way in the kitchen, well maybe you\u2019re just a little more patient. If dinner takes a little longer to get on the table, that\u2019s just fine.<\/p>\n

Today, Christmas Day, we don\u2019t worry about schedule! All is good! No hassles today! It\u2019s Christmas!
\nPeople are smiling, happy; more giving in every sense of the term. They\u2019re buying gifts for family and friends, putting money in the Salvation Army kettle and sending in year-end contributions to their favorite causes. People are a little more patient. The feeling of giving, of being generous and kind is all around us.
\n\"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/matchme.html\"<\/a>On Christmas Day everybody is focused on being nice because it is such a special day \u2013 it\u2019s hugs all around and everyone is feeling good. So I ask the question, why can\u2019t it be Christmas every day?\u00a0 Why can\u2019t people feel that way, act that way, every day? Why don\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

Imagine if we woke up each morning and behaved as though it were the \u201cmost wonderful time of the year.\u201d \u00a0If every day we thought about how nice we could be and how blessed we all are \u2013 if the gifts we bestowed were as simple but as precious as a kind word, a sincere compliment, an expression of support or encouragement.<\/p>\n

That magic begins with our attitudes.
\n\"merry
\nFrame of mind clearly shades an event, positively or negatively. How many times have we seen ourselves react to an extreme, either way, and then recognize that our reaction was tainted by our frame of mind at the time? You’ve had a tough day at home, or at school, or at the office, and at dinner you get the 17th<\/sup> telemarketing begathon phone call of the week and you slam the phone down with expletives. Yet on a better day, maybe you say, sure and donate $25.<\/p>\n

Attitude is more than just, \u201cis the glass half full or half empty?\u201d It’s starting the day with a basic belief that it’s going to be a nice day, a good day, and if problems arise, I’ll deal with them, and no matter what it takes, I’ll find a way. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, \u201cI\u2019m happier. I guess I made up my mind to be that way.\u201d
\nBringing a positive and confident approach to life is a choice of attitude. A difficult choice to recognize sometimes, but critical because it becomes the lens through which we look at everything we experience.<\/p>\n

Attitude is not only a positive approach to daily life, but it also includes how we deal with the bumps along the road. I wonder sometimes if we are fair to ourselves. Did you ever notice how many people get depressed or upset for a while about something bad that happens, and yet, when something good happens they smile for only about three minutes? There ought to be a life rule that demands equal recognition time for good and bad. And in fact, why shouldn’t it require we spend more time focused on the good than the bad?<\/p>\n

Once our attitudes are right, it\u2019s time to take action.
\n\"merry
\nBeing nice to others is so much more than generosity. It is caring, it is being supportive of others, it is lifting one\u2019s spirits when they are down, it is reaching out when you haven\u2019t talked in a while, it is calling someone when they are sick or troubled, it is remembering someone on their birthday, or on a sad day. And very importantly, when talking with someone, it is about truly listening.<\/p>\n

So often we converse with people but how hard do we actually \u201clisten?\u201d\u00a0 How often do we share what we want to say and then kind of tune out when the other person speaks.\u00a0 Science tells us that we only retain about 25% of what we hear \u2013 so focus is critical.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy. We live in a world of technology that creates so many distractions. People have their smart phones, their earphones, portable music everywhere \u2013 not just the home, the backyard, the car, but now even on the golf cart. How many times have you walked into a restaurant and seen a group of friends or a family having dinner and they\u2019re all just sitting there playing with their cell phones? Or folks crossing the street so busy on their cell phone that they don\u2019t see the traffic or other pedestrians. And when our television DVR\u2019s allow us to pause anything, back it up and replay what we just missed, is it any wonder people don\u2019t always pay attention?<\/p>\n

When you spend time with a friend, give them the courtesy, the care, the priority of your attention \u2013 listen.<\/p>\n

So my point is a fairly simple and straightforward one \u2013 that comes from having a simple mind!\u00a0 Some days we just decide that we\u2019re going to be extra-special-nice to others. Whether that\u2019s Christmas or someone\u2019s birthday or Mother\u2019s Day \u2013\u00a0 we know that on that day we are going to make it extra special for others.
\n\"christmas
\nWe can let the joy, the thanks, the smile, the kindness, the patience, the caring, come through every day.
\nMy challenge, my suggestion, my inspirational thought for you \u2013 one day this week, when you are going to bed, tell yourself that tomorrow you\u2019re going to pretend that it\u2019s Christmas. You don\u2019t have to tell anyone, just have that thought in your head the next day. And remind yourself of that multiple times during the day. That night reflect on the day and see how you feel.<\/p>\n

I believe you will have a great day and that others around you will as well.
\nMerry Everyday!<\/p>\n

Cancer Hope Network is nondenominational and nonpartisan. We\u2019re proud to serve clients from diverse backgrounds with a wide variety of beliefs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wally Parker is past president of Cancer Hope Network\u2019s Board of Trustees and<\/em> a longtime member of the First Congregational Church of Westfield who occasionally has the opportunity to deliver the sermon. <\/em>Today, we\u2019re delighted to share a condensed version of a sermon he recently gave. We hope the message of hope and kindness resonates with you as it did with us!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a reason Christmas is often known as the \u201cmost wonderful time of the year.\u201d For that one day, it seems everyone is just a little nicer, a little kinder and a little more gentle. If the kids misbehave, well no one really wants to yell at them on Christmas Day. If your spouse gets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":16,"featured_media":8719,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[247,248,40,213,249],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChristmas in July - Cancer Hope Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/christmas-in-july\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas in July\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s a reason Christmas is often known as the \u201cmost wonderful time of the year.\u201d For that one day, it seems everyone is just a little nicer, a little kinder and a little more gentle. 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