I had already lined up an article about this topic, using a Christmas in the past as an example. But then, other stuff intervened. Sometimes, the highs are highs, the lows are lows and they're 🔙 to 🔙. So what do you do?

This isn't an inspirational, pat, here-are-all-the-answers post. If you linked to this from Facebook, feel free to send a response, with what you do. If you simply found it on Valutivity.com, send a message via Contact Us with your ideas. We're #crowdsourcing here.

Through our adult years, we've seen so many things happen during the holidays. Complicated things. Deaths. Illness, physiological and psychological. Lost jobs. Intense family drama. Financial crises. Failing to meet expectations.

One of the most "sticky"* thoughts I've had comes--oddly--from that fount of wisdom in 1970, the great philosopher Mickey Rooney. For Santa Claus is Coming to Town, he wrote:

"Put one foot in front of the other

And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor

You put one foot in front of the other

And soon you'll be walking out the door"

Sometimes, that's about as much as I expect from myself. One foot in front of the other.

Another thing I'm reminding myself, is not to catastrophize. Just because 2023 ended roughly, doesn't make it a bad year. And although 2024 may have gotten off to a rough start, that doesn't need to project a "bad 2024." 

* Year in, year out, it just sticks to me. Like honey🍯 or the molasses in gingerbread cookies.

See also:

From 2022, It was a good day. AKA The Fire 🔥

 Lyrics ©️1970 Mickey Rooney and Keenan Wynn.