The year of the Ox is about to begin and Chinese people everywhere will be celebrating the Chinese New Year. As it is also called the Spring festival it is obvious that the Chinese see it as a season of renewal and re-growth. They wear new clothes at this time of the year to symbolise a new start.  Like people of every race and nationality they will be hoping and praying for a happy and a healthy new year. They may not sing auld lang syne in a Scottish dialect but they do make it a time for family re-unions. In fact the period around the New Year is the period of most travel when millions of Chinese return home to celebrate with family and friends.
While to most Westerners the New Year firework displays are just entertainment the Chinese see them as a way to chase away bad luck. In fact any fire whether it be fireworks or the bamboo stalks that their ancestors once lit are, traditionally, believed to keep evil spirits at bay. Red is the colour of fire and that is why they also wear red clothes and have poems printed on red paper. Even the children get red packets with money in it. Perhaps the best known of all their traditions is the dragon dance where young men carry long painted dragons dance along the streets on the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Those of us who celebrate New Year’s Eve too well would, perhaps, love to be like the Chinese and have a fifteen day festival to give us time to recover from our hangovers!

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It’s time for “Out with the old and in with the new�. At a time of recession the New Year can be a time of despair or we can look at it as a time to party and look forward to the opportunities ahead. As we count down to midnight we usually make our New Year resolutions. Instead of losing weight or giving up cigarettes why not try something a bit more ambitious? You could decide to break out of your comfort zone and realise your potential.  In fact the New Year is a good time to fix your focus and achieve your goals.
Perhaps one of the reasons most of us do not follow through on our resolutions is because they are selfish ones, concerned only with our own health or finances. Obviously there is nothing wrong with improving your health by walking more or giving up alcohol. What not do something more positive though and do something for others? Perhaps one of the very best things we can do in the New Year is to commit a random act of kindness each day.  Now that will make somebody’s life better as well as your own.

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Every country has its heroes and its public celebrations. In most cases they are politicians or soldiers. In Scotland, however, they are more cultured and celebrate a poet and a man of the people. Burns Night is celebrated wherever Scots gather. There they toast the immortal memory of this great Bard. This is the 250th anniversary of his birth and so the parties will be bigger, the celebrations more hectic and it is probably fair to say that more whisky will be drunk. On that night they toast the Haggis, not to mention the lassies as well as pay tribute to a man who wrote many of his words in an ancient dialect. Yet whose works are as fresh and as relevant today as ever. The Burns Night celebration night ends with a song that is known almost everywhere. On New Year’s Eve the world joins in with the Scots in singing what is probably Rabbie’s most famous song of all, Auld Lang Syne.

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There is a saying that feeling appreciation and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.  Does that apply to your “Thanksgiving day?� As you sit down to your meal surrounded by family and friends do you actually give thanks for what you have received?
In these harsh times perhaps its time that we got back to basics and began to appreciate all that we have.  Most of us have roofs over our heads and food on our tables.  We have that aforementioned family and that, surely, is a great blessing when others are lonely.  Should not we be giving thanks for friendship and what it means in our lives?  Each one of us has been given talents and skills and as well as being grateful for them perhaps, at this time of thanksgiving, we should decide to use them. We may not sing like Pavarotti but we could entertain our acquaintances or help a party go with a swing.
Maybe too we should give thanks for living in a democracy where we can express our feelings through the ballet box. We should be thankful for the fact that we can walk down the street without fearing a hand on our shoulder snatching us off to imprisonment and torture.
Our health is, they say, our wealth and anyone who has been ill knows that is true. For most of us, whatever our illness, there is a hospital where we can avail of help and pain relief. Maybe as a token of our gratitude we might press for medical care to be more readily available to all who need it.
Thanksgiving you see is more than just being grateful. It is more than a secular holiday.  It is a day for appreciating our own good fortune and sharing it with others. Whatever your creed or beliefs on this Thanksgiving Day remember the real reason for the celebration.

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Christmas cards convey season’s greetings to those who receive them. What, though, should you say if you are actually addressing people at a seasonal gathering? You might, for instance, be a guest at an annual dinner/party of another company. Obviously your speech should be gracious in tone thanking your hosts for their kind invitation and speaking of the connection between your companies over the years. You may have to as a club or association’s Christmas speech. You will naturally speak of shared experiences of club members over the year and, naturally, wish your members all the compliments of the season. . A retirement association annual dinner is often held at the festive season and you may be asked to address those one time members of your staff. You should speak of their invaluable contribution to the company and stress the positive side of retirement. All such speeches should be light-hearted and jovial in tone as befits the holiday spirit and end with an appropriate toast. Unless you are a riveting speaker make it short. Those attending the function are, after all, enjoying a social occasion and don’t want to listen to long speeches. A card can say it in a few lines. You should be able to say it in a few moments.

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“Shop early for Christmas� is a saying that applies only to the well organised amongst us.  In fact in these tight-beltening times perhaps we won’t even be Christmas shopping at all. Certainly companies might be tempted to cancel their Christmas parties or their Happy holiday functions at this time of recession. Yet this might prove to be an ill advised move because it is like saying that you have no confidence in your staff or in the future of your business. The bosses Christmas speech is full of seasonal good will of course but it is also time to get a motivational message across when you staff are all gathered and in a relaxed and happy humour. The office party is a time when you can rightly share your hopes with your staff and explain to them that you need their help in facing into tougher times. That Christmas party is a time to sell the future of your company to those who will make it happen.

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It’s nearly time for the turkey. Whether it’s at Thanksgiving or at Christmas most of us like to feast with our families and friends. The trouble is that for many people it doesn’t stop at that. Obesity is a growing problem in the main caused by Junk food, that is so handy for those of us with busy lives but if we are honest it doesn’t take longer to prepare a salad than to heat those oven chips. Vitamins are essential to health and a good breakfast is the best possible start to the day. A smoothie makes much more sense than drinking coke and nowadays they are available in most stores. If you invest in a juicer you can easily get your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day in one easy drink. Good food affects your body and your health. It also helps your brainto function better.. So there is one other good reason to eat well and that is by doing so you can eat your way to genius.

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“God gave you a fit of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “Thank you?� This thought provoking saying by William Arthur Ward should make us think about gratitude and whether we express it or not.
In Britain and in continental Europe many churches have a harvest festival ceremony every year where parishioners give thanks for the fruits of the earth. Yet historically Thanksgiving Day as we now know it in the United States was first known when Spaniards landed in St. Augustine and said a mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival. In Canada victory over enemies was the theme of some of the first thanksgiving days although today, officially, it is a day to thank God for his mercies. Nowadays it is often a more secular feast in America and Canada yet despite the football games and Macy’s parade families still gather together and celebrate and, whatever their religious beliefs, are thankful that they have such holiday and such a family reunion.  So whether you are letting off fireworks, having a barbeque or dining in style remember to stop for a second to say “Thank you.�

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Isn’t it strange how countries differ when celebrating? The Irish drown the shamrock on St. Patrick ’s Day. The Chinese New Year is celebrated with lots of fireworks while in Jersey they have the battle of flowers.
Some things are the same though whatever the country and whatever their reason for celebrating. One of those things is atmosphere. There is an air of expectancy and excitement. Flags and bunting flutter in the breeze and everyone is in good spirits and enjoying the occasion. Another thing they have in common is parades. Whether it is
the excitement of the Mardi gras or the Marksman’s parade in Hanover in Germany, people march past, often dressed in colourful clothing or aboard wonderfully decorated floats.
Military parades often take place on patriotic occasions. The sound of marching feet or the drone of aeroplanes as they do a fly past capturing the attention of a sometimes silent crowd. They are not as colourful as the others but they can be awe inspiring and they evoke a feeling of patriotism and pride.
Children love festivals and parades and it is traditional to see fathers hoist their offspring on their shoulders for a better view. A parade wouldn’t be a parade if young boys did not climb up every statue along the route to ensure that they saw everything. Bands play and crowds cheer and clap. So whether you are celebrating Workers Day or Independence Day enjoy it and be part of that crowd.

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