Here on the cusp of the biggest holiday week of the year, it seems nearly everything that needs to be said already has been: “Seasons greetings!” “Happy Hanukkah!” “Merry Christmas!” “Thank you!” “Best wishes for the new year!” “Don’t forget your mittens!” We’ve said them all—with feeling—upon arrival, departure and when raising cups of cheer.
Once More With Feeling
The truth is, the warmth and care of traditional holiday greetings really can’t be repeated too often. So, yes, we have three more things we’d like to say to you—a pre-holiday trio of concepts we hold close to our hearts, and which we hope you will hold close to yours—at least for the holidays.
1. Slow down. Really. Stop for a minute and just listen to yourself breathe. Do you start to feel a little panicky because you really don’t have time for this nonsense? That’s your psyche telling you something: It’s time to slow down and enjoy the pleasures of the season. The smells, the flavors, the sounds. Savor the time you have with relatives you seldom see. Take the scenic route instead of the shortcut. Tell stories. Take a nap! Not only will slowing down increase your enjoyment of the season, it will increase the length of your life.
2. Be kind. As a lawyer, you live in a dog-eat-dog world. Push comes to shove for you more often than it does for others. Use the excuse of the holidays to dial down the competitiveness, and find what is right with the world for a change. Give something away. Do someone a favor. Share what you have—riches, cookies, a snow shovel, the window seat. You’ll be amazed by how good it feels.
3. Have fun! Medieval kings and queens believed laughter was good for people. Especially after dinner, when official jokers and jesters were brought in to help digestion of the rich foods served in the great banquet halls. Even a joke told badly at your firm’s holiday dinner (and therefore setting off a case of the giggles) is a perfect example of how good a real belly laugh can make you feel. (It also make you look great!) So, for goodness sake, stop taking it all so seriously and have a good time. Even the brainiacs at Harvard say that a smiling public improves a nation’s economy.
So that’s your assignment for the coming days: Slow down, be kind and have some fun. We’ll be following our own advice—just like you, we deserve it! We’ve been working like happy publishing elves on some particularly enticing downloadable giveaways for Attorney at Work readers. They’ll be on the site next week, so be sure to check back with us. Meantime, once again, we wish you the very best of the holiday season!
(And don’t forget your mittens!)
