Have A Dickens of A Time: The Best Present Ever - Revisited

Last year about this time I posted "The Best Present Ever" - an entry that extolled all of us to make the most of the holiday season through a positive attitude and by giving, wherever possible, the gift of time to those around us.  I cited an article by Dr. Leslie Becker- Phelps of Psychology Today who addressed the four domains of better organizing personal and professional commitments, taking care of one's health, accepting present personal limitations and setting realistic goals for the future to help make a person more present, and subsequently more of a gift to be around.  I also referenced Diane Dutchin of The Positivity Blog with her suggestion that time is the greatest gift people can give or receive, and using it wisely is the best way to reward ourselves. 

In preparation for the holiday break my students have been reading Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The classic 19th century tale underscores the idea the need for all of us to make the most of the time we are given. Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come combine to redeem Scrooge, causing him to change from a bitter self absorbed miser to a man who "knew how to keep Christmas well". 

Hopefully the coming holiday season will afford all of us time to enjoy the season, feel more positive and make the most of our time together. A recent tweet from our superintendent summed up this message nicely "This year, let your presence be your present". And as  Dickens wrote, "Let that be said of us, and all of us! And as Tiny Tim observed "God Bless Us - Everyone!"