A Holiday Wish For You

A few years ago, my family asked my dad, who’s health was failing at the time, what he most wanted for Christmas. He replied “I just want peace in the world, and all of you to be happy, successful, and healthy.” To which my older brother replied “would you settle for a sweater?” Gotta love pragmatism.

But other than shopping a little harder for deals and watching budgets a little more closely, this is not the season for pragmatism. It’s a time to reflect, to take stock in all that is good in our lives. And a time to express gratitude for all that we have. And no matter how bad things seem right now, and I know for lots of us things are pretty bad, I hope we can see past the troubles, and be grateful for what we do have. Because we are incredibly blessed to be living in this beautiful area, to be part of this community, and to live in this country. And yes I know that the traffic is a pain, and there are money problems, and Zillow.com says your house is worth $100,000 less than you paid for it, and you are feeling insecure about your job, etc etc etc. There will always be problems and challenges, but there will also be opportunities and triumphs as well.

So my holiday wish for you is simple… may you get to spend time with your family and loved ones, and get a chance to slow down enough to realize just how fortunate we really are. Even if we occasionally have to settle for a sweater.

And since we’re on the subject, here are Hollywood’s 40 greatest inspirational speeches in 2 minutes. Enjoy!