So the holidays are coming and everywhere you go, you feel that Christmas is in the air.

You see everyone is busy shopping for gifts for friends and loved ones, decorating their homes, laughing and having fun.

So here are 3 fun ideas to you can do before Christmas to make your holidays more special…

(Today you get Idea #1. The other 2 will come soon in the next few days.)

1. Let’s Remember What Christmas Is All about

Sometimes getting too busy with the Christmas “chores”, we forget the real meaning of it all.

Buying gifts, decorating the home, and all these are great things - but as long as we still remember and cherish the main message.

Let’s see what a 7 year-old kid thinks it is…

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
- Bobby, age 7

Isn’t it so true?

(We could learn a thing or two from this smart kid. )

Christmas is all about Love.

I’m not talking about the “religious” aspect of it. We are looking at Christmas as a universal holiday that all people from all countries, races, and religions celebrate. It’s like a fun holiday that unites the hearts together all around the globe.

So in the busyness of the holidays, why not stop for a while and remember how much we love our family, friends, and other special people in our lives?

Why not in the last few days of the year, take some time - even if just 60 minutes - to really show them how much their being here means to us.

And you don’t need to show it by a very expensive gift you can’t really afford. Just a heartfelt word of appreciation and a caring smile will show it much better.

Make your loved ones feel special. Make them smile and feel how valuable they are to you.

Imagine for a second how your life will be even if you suddenly lost them. Then you’ll really know what they mean to you.

So how about this Christmas, we make it a bit different than the rest?

How about you and me give more love this time… instead of more fancy gifts like everyone else does?

Wishing you a more loving, fun holiday than ever!

P.S. Stay tuned for the next Christmas Fun Idea coming in the next couple of days.

“We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.”  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

It really says it all.

What else can I say?

As much as there is glory in every new step we take to a more modern, advanced world, there is still one thing we seem to need to learn more…

As Martin Luther King says it perfectly above, it’s the “simple act of walking the earth like brothers”.

Once we do figure that out as well, do you think there will be any war, but peace? Any racism, but understanding and respecting one another despite of our small differences?

This reminds me of a beautiful song in the cartoon, Pocahontas. Have you ever seen it?

As you may remember, there is this part of the movie where the woman is singing a song for the white soldier who has come to their land and called her people savages. I love this part of the song…

“You think the only people who are people,
Are the people who look and think like you…
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.”

After traveling to various countries and getting to know the most different cultures and people, I realized something…

The truth is, we are all like brothers and sisters in this world together. We may look different or speak in different languages, but on the inside, we are really following the same hopes and dreams.

We sometimes judge others without really knowing them, and realize how they are different from it once we get to know them later.

Hasn’t it ever happened to you that you were judged by mistake too?

There is this other part of the Pocahontas song I like that goes…

“We are all connected to each other…
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends.”

Isn’t it another amazing secret in life?

Whatever one of us does, it affects the rest of us in the world in a way.

And today, with the Internet, the ease of traveling anywhere, and the nations becoming closer, this loop effect is true more than ever.

So how are YOU affecting the world today?

How about we pause for a second today and try to see our other fellow human beings as our brothers and sisters?

What changes would we make in how we treat others if we see us as a big connected family?

Isn’t it what we really are, after all?

…

“After the verb ‘to Love,’ ‘to Help’ is the most beautiful verb in the world.” - Bertha von Suttner

Isn’t it?

So who do you think you can help today – even if a bit?

Let’s Wow!

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you may win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people will likely cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it was always between you and God.
It was never between you and them, anyway.”

- Mother Theresa

She has mentioned some good points here about us always doing what we think is Right, no matter what others may do or think.

This is a fact in this world that it is NOT always fair. Not always the good wins and not always the innocent wins the war.

But should it keep us from doing what we believe is Right?

When doing something good, sometime we may get a reward from that person and sometimes not. But what else can be higher reward when you have your inner satisfaction, your sense of pride for yourself with you all the time?

Even if you are not much religious, as I am not either, you still can enjoy the happiness you get every time you find yourself doing something great. Something that proves once more you have such a BIG, kind heart.

No matter if the person appreciates it or not, what you does will go to grow your heart and should… And this is the most precious thing.

Let’s try our best and live to our fullest. People may or may not notice all of it. But let’s do it anyway!
- Ladan

You can do it for your own heart, and it will be the best reward.

Let’s Wow!

Have you watched the recent Disney animated movie: Wall-E?

After hearing some great reviews about it from friends and also online, I decided to go watch it with my good friend.

This movie is about a robot called Wall-E who has a mission on earth: cleaning up the mess that last generations have cuased. He has been ding this for a long time… 700 years.

Even though hundreds of his other robot friends has already broken down and he is the only one left in the world, he still keeps on going and cleans the earth with full dedication every day.

Until one day, a female robot is brought to the earth on a mission and this adds another purpose to Wall-E’s life. He goes on an exciting risky adventure of traveling to the space looking for this robot and meets the humans of the next generations. (Because humans have left the earth to live in a big spaceship.)

… And this is the beginning of even more adventures for Wall-E, the female robot, and our human folks in the spaceship.

I’m not going to reveal the entire story so you can enjoy it as a surprise when you see it for yourself.

The bottom line is, if you are a fan of cute lovely movies, you’re going to love this animated movie.

But even more than that, if you’re a fan of meaningful movies that give you interesting insights, open up your mind to new ideas, and make you feel you’ve learned some thing wonderful after spending your time at the cinema, you’re also going to love Wall-E.

One more thing…

Warning: Bring an extra pair of hands with you.

Go watch this movie with a good friend or your loved one. Because in some parts of it, you’ll be searching for a hand to hold, and if no one familiar near you, you might as well grab the stranger’s hand next to you.