My son loves computer games. He thought this maze game looked awesome. For those of you who havn’t played the game yet, check out http://www.winterrowd.com/maze/. He played for a while and kept hitting the walls so I helped him get close to the end. iSight was recording the whole thing. Thankfully he can laugh at it now after seeing all the adults get scared too.

This is a very interesting video

Ok, before you read on, make sure to watch the video.

WOW… now that is what I call the “True Spirit of Christmas”…NOT!

Christmas is an interesting time and every person has their own definition of the “True Spirit of Christmas.” For some, the Christmas Spirit is the rush of black Friday. For others is setting aside differences with family for a short time. Unfortunately, for some, the Christmas season is a time of great sadness and depression.

For me, the Christmas season is about focusing on the things in my life that are important to me. Things like: family, friends, spirituality, love, giving, and peace.

How can we focus on the the things that aqre important to us, when the world around us is running around like the video on the left. Here are 5 ways that I believe can help:

1. Get your shopping done early. If you are a black Friday shopper, this might not be all bad. By getting your Christmas shopping done early, you can start to forget the commercial aspects of Christmas sooner. We get most of our shopping done within the first few weeks following thanksgiving.
2. Read or listen to “A Christmas Carol.” Personally I suggest the audiobook narrated by Patrick Stewart. It is abridged and is just over 2 hours. This is a great story that can really help put things in perspective.
3. Service.  Take cookies to your neighbors, babysit for a friend or shovel an elderly neighbor’s walk.
4. Don’t overspend. Spending more than you have will only cause anxiety and stress.
5. Read the original Christmas story in Luke chapter 2. What better way to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas than to focus some time on Christ.

If you have other ideas or suggestions on how to keep a happy positive attitude and feel the joys of the Christmas season, please leave a comment.

This is a little video I came across about hypermiling (trying to get the highest miles per gallon from your car). I have tried a few of the tips, I don’t take it to the extreme like some people, but this last tank of gas in my little Dodge Neon, I got 30.5 MPG! That is about 5 miles per gallon better than I usually get. Give it a shot if you hate filling up the tank.