Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it is a wonderful reminder to give thanks! Giving thanks is a great way to invest in your own well-being. Sounds odd doesn’t it? How can giving thanks be an investment in your well-being? Here’s how…
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at MSAA!
To send a Thanksgiving eCard to your friends and family, go to support.mymsaa.org/holidayecards.
Please note: MSAA will be closed on Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th. We will be back in the office on Monday, November 28th.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Have you voted yet for your favorite MSAA Thanksgiving eCard?
There’s still time to cast your vote for your favorite holiday greeting! Voting closes on Friday, November 18th at 3:00 pm (Eastern) so make sure you get your vote in at support.mymsaa.org/voteforcard!
Didn’t get a chance to vote? No problem! We’ll be announcing the winner the week of Thanksgiving on Facebook and via email.
Be the first to know which Thanksgiving eCard was triumphant by following us on Facebook or signing up for email.
My husband loves a good deal. Seriously, he hates paying more than he has to for anything and loves telling everyone how much he saves. He’s in his glory this time of year, scouring the newspaper and internet for low, low prices. On Thanksgiving Day, as I was agonizing (OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration) over dinner, my husband was checking his e-mail inbox and came across the following.
Yes, you read that correctly. Thanksgiving Day, a day to be grateful for all we have, is being swallowed up by the spending holiday of Black Friday. I even saw a few companies refer to the week as Black Friday Week! It’s crazy! The way we are going, in 20 or 30 years, we will have lost the original meaning of all of our holidays. All that will be left will be the sales and deals galore. Don’t laugh, it could happen!
With Christmas coming up, that got me thinking. Maybe we should embrace the saying that “It’s the thought that counts”; not the price tag. So, I’ve put together a list of gift ideas that show an added personal touch (and that don’t break the bank).
1. Bake cookies and send along the recipe for future use.
2. Make homemade holiday cards.
3. Give the gift of your time. For example, offer to babysit to give young parents a break.
4. Put together a book of “secret family recipes” and give it to all family members, young and old.
5. Use your talents (such as knitting) to create unique presents.
6. Craft gifts (like wreaths) out of recycled or repurposed materials.
7. Pass along a family heirloom to the next generation.
8. Regift; if you don’t think you’ll use something, give it to someone you know will.
Sometimes, the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart.
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!!
This week many individuals around the country will celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday symbolizing the notions of graciousness and appreciation. This holiday and others represent different things to different people and hold varied meanings for all who celebrate them. But a concept that can be universal and celebrated all year through is that of gratitude. Finding what you’re thankful for, no matter how big or small or different, is a part of this holiday tradition. Expressing your gratitude can help pay it forward and inspire others to do the same, and to hopefully further inspire acts of appreciation and kindness across our society. Celebrating the holiday can simply mean appreciating and reflecting on the words themselves-‘Thanks’ and ‘Giving.’
Please note that MSAA’s offices are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th.
From all of us here at MSAA, please enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Having just polished off the leftover bird from the table, cranberry sauce and stuffing galore, you may be experiencing a sigh of relief or even a moment of anticipation as further holiday and end-of-year festivities abound.
Whether you had a pleasant or taxing Thanksgiving, you probably are not thinking about what creates a lasting holiday memory, but inevitably as the season progresses you may just think back on past holiday seasons and some of the stand-out moments which are meaningful to you. Over time, sometimes even the mishaps and anxieties which were so troublesome to you at the time may even win out for most re-counted and favored memories.
For example, I’ll never forget the Thanksgiving my dog snatched a turkey leg right off my nephew’s plate (why he had a giant turkey leg, I have no idea). I chased the dog around the dining room and battled for it. When I finally broke his hold on the greasy turkey leg, riotous laughter erupted around the table. At the moment he stole the food, my thought was, “Oh no, he ruined Thanksgiving,” but the reality was there was plenty of food to go around and everyone delighted in some comic relief. A few years later, and it has become a story we re-count when we talk about all being together and what we are thankful for (which does, in fact, include our dog).
So as the year winds down and you anticipate even more hoopla, remember that even the crazy, wild, and hectic moments can turn into those lasting, laughter-filled, or meaningful moments. Events may not turn out exactly as planned, but the love, support, and laughter of those that surround us and support us are what the holidays are all about.
The votes are in and we have a new MSAA Thanksgiving Card winner! The competition was a close one, but our big winner is…
Pumpkin Floral Arrangement!
Coming in a close second place were cards showing a puppy and a kitten, a candle centerpiece, and a festive candy turkey with two small pumpkins. Sadly, our determined and colorful turkey was also defeated, but we’re sure he at least ruffled a few feathers in the process!
We would like to thank the more than 1,200 people who took part in this year’s fun election to select MSAA’s official Thanksgiving Card for 2014! MSAA’s winning online card “Pumpkin Floral Arrangement” is now available for you to select and send electronically to everyone you know. And since the other candidates received many votes as well, MSAA is offering all six cards for you to send!
This is a great way to send Thanksgiving greetings, while showing your support of MSAA, a leading resource for the entire MS community, improving lives today through vital services and support. At this time of giving thanks, we also want to express our sincere gratitude to the many individuals who have so generously contributed to support our vital mission.
Please note that MSAA’s offices are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th.
From all of us here at MSAA, please enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
With Thanksgiving a little over a week away, many families have already started planning for the holiday season. Who is hosting, who’s making the turkey, and who will be opening their home to holiday guests this season? As if the actual day wasn’t hectic enough, with the shuffling around of foods, the constant chatter, and all of the hugs and kisses; why stress this upcoming week in preparation?
The following tips may help keep this holiday season a little less stressful:
1. Make a plan: Start by listing out each of the tasks that need to be accomplished. Breaking them down into groups can help keep things organized (i.e. cleaning, shopping, cooking).
2. Ask for help: Be prepared to delegate tasks to others. Go through the list and identify tasks that can easily be accomplished by someone else. Family and friends are usually asking, “What can we do or what can we bring?” Use this opportunity to check something off that list.
3. Practice self-care: Take breaks throughout the day; do not push through to finish a check list. Find a good mix of tasks that you enjoy with ones that are less pleasurable; when it comes down to choosing one or the other, always choose the one that makes you happy.
In what ways do you plan for a stress-free holiday?
By Matt Cavallo
As I sat in an infusion suite chair to treat my holiday relapse, I started to feel really sorry for myself. I wasn’t sure what I had done to deserve this MS fate. I thought about my young boys and how unfair it was to them that their dad was having another relapse. I thought about the additional burden that this relapse was putting on my wife, having to care for two toddlers on her own. All this was happening during the holidays, just two months after I had gone through an anterior cervical fusion. To top it off, I was experiencing these uncontrollable emotional outbursts, or PBA as my neurologist called it, which were embarrassing me to the point of not wanting to go out in public.
Then my thoughts changed. I knew at that moment that instead of feeling bad for myself that I was going to have to reach deep down and pull myself together for my wife and kids. My wife is a stay-at- home mom and I am the sole provider, so I knew that if I didn’t get my act together, our quality of life as a family was going to go downhill and fast. I needed a plan.
Steps to Recovery
As the calendar turned to December in 2010, I was feeling like the worst was over. The medicine had run its course. I was feeling back to my normal self. Gone were the emotional outbursts, weakness and fatigue. I was back to normal at work and home life now returned to the joy of watching my boys. I didn’t bother with the stress of trying to compete for deals on Black Friday or hanging Christmas lights from the rafters. Instead, I realized that the true meaning of the holidays was to be there in good spirits for the ones you love. As Thanksgiving 2013 approaches, I am thankful for everyone in my life and continue to enjoy simple stress-free holidays with the ones I love.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!
References:
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/pseudobulbar-affect-multiple-sclerosis
*Matt Cavallo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005. Matt is an MS blogger, author, patient advocate, and motivational speaker. Matt also has his Master’s degree in Public Health Administration. Matt is the proud father of his two sons, loving husband to his wife, Jocelyn, and best friend to his dog, Teddy. Originally from the Boston suburbs, Matt currently resides in Arizona with his family. To learn more about Matt, please visit him at : http://mattcavallo.com/blog/
For the third year in a row, MSAA is conducting a Thanksgiving Card Competition! We have six online Thanksgiving Card candidates (shown below), all vying for the top spot as MSAA’s most-popular Thanksgiving Card for 2013.
Please vote and then watch to see if your favorite card will emerge victorious! Once the voting is over next week and the selections are tallied, we’ll let everyone know which card is the top choice to email to friends and family, wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
To vote for your favorite online card design, please visit our Thanksgiving election poll (or go to support.mymsaa.org/voteforcard).