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Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.

TODAY CONTINUING A NEW SERIES, HOW CELEBRATING EACH DAY IS GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH? PLUS, THE BOOK TEN-MINUTE RELAXATION FOR MIND AND BODY.

Hello Followers,

IT IS SATURDAY!

Happy weekend.

And we cannot celebrate Christmas without the tradition of the twelve days of Christmas.

It might seem unbelievable given that the “Christmas creep” now begins before Halloween, but the true Christmas season starts on Christmas Day itself.

That’s right: December twenty-fifth marks the official start of the twelve days of Christmas, the Christian tradition that shares its name with a relentlessly stick-in-your-head Christmas carol.

Here are a few things you may not know about the song and the season.

What are the twelve days of Christmas?

The twelve days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men.

It begins on December twenty-fifth (Christmas) and runs through January sixth (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings’ Day).

The four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known as Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December twenty-fourth.

Advent.

Explain!

Some families choose to mark the twelve-day period by observing the feast days of various saints (including St. Stephen on December twenty-sixth) and planning daily Christmas-related activities, but for many, things go back to business as usual after December twenty-fifth.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is also a Christmas carol in which the singer brags about all the cool gifts they received from their “true love” during the twelve days of Christmas.

Each verse builds on the previous one, serving as an effective way to annoy family members on road trips.

The lyrics to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” have changed over the years.

The version most people are familiar with today begins with this verse:

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.

The song then adds a gift for each day, building on the verse before it, until you’re reciting all twelve gifts together:

Day 2: two turtle doves

Day 3: three French hens

Day 4: four calling birds

Day 5: five gold rings

Day 6: six geese a-laying

Day 7: seven swans a-swimming

Day 8: eight maids a-milking

Day 9: nine ladies dancing

Day 10: ten lords a-leaping

Day 11: eleven pipers piping

Day 12: twelve drummers drumming

The history of the carol is somewhat murky.

The earliest known version first appeared in a 1780 children’s book called Mirth With-out Mischief.

Some historians think the song could be French in origin, but most agree it was designed as a “memory and forfeits” game, in which singers tested their recall of the lyrics and had to award their opponents a “forfeit”, a kiss or a favor of some kind, if they made a mistake.

Many variations of the lyrics have existed at different points.

As we continue to celebrate this holiday season, Dan and I are starting a new series; HOW CELEBRATING EACH DAY IS GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH?

Are you ready for the results from yesterday’s post?

Daily gratitude writings resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy.

Even better, those in the “gratitude” group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more consistently and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals.

Dr. Emmons’ research also shows that those who celebrate life by practicing an attitude of gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude.

“To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great,” he says, “It just means we are aware of our blessings.”

Why should the simple act of thinking about and celebrating who and what you are grateful for make such a big difference in your life?

Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life.

It turns bad things into good things.

As an example, problems at work!

Be grateful you have work.

Be grateful you have challenges, and that life is not boring.

Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges.

Be thankful they make you a stronger person.

Continue tomorrow-

DECEMBER 10th, Dan, and I thought on continuing this segment with the series with some fun; What is it about December that is so significant during this month?

National Salesperson Day – December 10, 2022

Of course, Dan and I choose this holiday for Dans career has been sales.

So, it is a no brainer to celebrate this holiday today.

How many times have you walked around a department store, especially during the holidays, and felt badly for whoever had to fix all those messy shelves?

That’s where National Salesperson Day comes in.

Shoppers should always be thankful for their help, but on December 10, be sure to go out of your way to say, “I appreciate you!”

This holiday has been celebrated since 2000, making it a point to thank all the salespeople you meet.

Time is precious and is priceless, so Dan and I will continue each day to pull from a box of 365 inspirational quotes, one quote and share with you.

Today is:

THE PAST IS A GHOST, THE FUTURE A DREAM, AND ALL WE EVER HAVE IS NOW.

Today Dan and I will be continuing the book, Ten-Minute Relaxation, For Mind and Body by Jennie Harding.

Whenever you are feeling under pressure, ten minutes is all you need to relax totally, using tools that are always with you; your senses.

This book is packed full of wonderfully simple ideas and exercises for using sight, taste, smell, hearing, and touch and that vital sixth sense of intuition to rebalance your energies and bring you back into harmony with the natural world around you.