Tag: Christmas

    Dr Braccio & Mike Austin of 1320 AM discuss how CHRISTMAS CAN BE A TIME OF JOY FOR ALL PERSONS

    Christmas 2023 Christmas is a time of joy for Christians as it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christians believe he was sent to earth to die for their sins so they can have a life of eternity with him and persons they loved and cared for on earth. Whether a person is a Christian or not, and there are over 2 billion Christians in the world, Christ was a person who came to show love and empathy for all persons. I can love and respect Mahatma Gandhi, who was a Hindu, for what he represented without being a Hindu. Who can really argue against one of Christ’s great commandments of the New Testament, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”? Who can really argue with his statement that only a person without sin should cast the “first stone” of criticism of others. Whether he was God or not, he was clearly a man of peace and love. A year ago I was talking about movies such as the Hallmark movies and how they can be so enjoyable during the Christmas season. I still believe Christmas themed movies and novels that present persons falling in love and showing great human kindness are enjoyed by countless millions of persons. The Christmas Carol ,written by Charles Dickens in1843, is a perennial classic as we see Ebenezar Scrooge go from being a pitiless lover of money and hater of Christmas to becoming a good Christian trying to help Tiny Tim and his family have a wonderful Christmas. It is true Christmas can be very stressful for a large percentage of persons and that can distract from the joy of Christmas. A study by the American Psychological Association showed 38% of persons had stress during the holidays. Hopefully, you can reduce this by focusing less on gifts and more on demonstrating love and compassion for ourselves, family, friends, and others we encounter during this period of Christmas. Our goal is to try to better develop our sense of love and peace by emulating the thoughts and behaviors of the Prince of Peace and Love, Jesus Christ. The emphasis on Christmas is not gifts but love with emphasis on communication with family and friends who are in the spirit of Christmas and reflect love, caring, and sharing positive feelings. Let us all enjoy the joy of Christmas in 2023 and remember the billions of persons who live and have lived trying to emulate the loving and caring ways of Jesus Christ over the centuries. It is Jesus and what he represents we are celebrating this Christmas, regardless of our spiritual beliefs.

    Dr Braccio & Mike Austin of 1320 AM discuss MAKE 2023 THE YEAR WE BECOME WHO WE BELIEVE WE CAN

    December 30, 2022- Too many persons,including psychologists,believe personalities are more or less set in adults and even adolescents and do not change. I do not accept that view at all. If someone has a vision of who they want to be and will make the necessary changes,they can do it. I have seen it in many persons I have worked with over the years both as a psychologist and one traveling the road of life. While Rome was not built in a day,making fundamental changes in self requires hard work. For example,one does not go from being deceitful on a daily basis to stopping in one day. The same is true of the person who is sarcastic and hurtful of others. The chronic inappropriate flirt and philanderer also do not change overnight. However,change can occur with a strong beginning if the person declares those behaviors are not only who they are not but are toxic to them as persons. Step one is to determine who you want to be and know you can be that person. That vision of yourself is always in your mind and your thoughts and actions are directed to being that person. Who we are and how we behave are the most powerful tools we human beings have to determine who we are and the course in life we will take to that end. Whether small or major character remodeling,use 2023 as the launchpad to be who you choose to be for the rest of your lives. Go for it with super gusto! Your future begins now.

    Dr Braccio & Mike Austin of 1320 AM discuss how to ENJOY CHRISTMAS WITH THE WARM HAPPY OUTCOMES OF CHRISTMAS MOVIES

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    We know that Christmas is the celebration by Christians that God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for us so we could have the opportunity for an eternity of happiness with him in heaven. Christmas also is a time that is very stressful for many persons due to costs, family pressures, and just a lot of seeming chaos with so many expectations on persons. The American Psychological Association reports that 38% of respondents in a study reported higher stress during the holidays. With that said, movies about Christmas teach us the lessons of Christ with examples of love, sacrifice,family, unity,kindness and happy endings during the Christmas time. The classic of Scrooge becoming a loving and caring person in the CHRISTMAS CAROL is representative of the best of what Christmas can mean in terms of love and finding purpose in life. Current movies, as strongly represented by the Hallmark Movies,give so much joy to persons who are looking for purpose, love,positive relationship outcomes,and meaningful relationships. They may be quite predictable, but the Hallmark Channel has clearly found a market with millions of persons watching them. I must admit for years I have enjoyed watching them during this time of year with my wife. I also believe from a mental health point of you it is good therapy for people to see examples of happy endings where individuals and families find each other, reunite and persons fall in love looking forward to a lifetime of happiness together. This is a form of therapy that can be helpful for all of us. Let us enjoy the birth of Jesus Christ and the love he represents,regardless of our beliefs,as a time to watch good feelings movies during the season of Christmas. Be joyful and seek spiritual renewal and happiness in your life! For those who also want some joyful positive music between uplifting movies to add to their Christmas spirit,my classical favorite is JOY TO THE WORLD by Mario Lanza and my pop favorite is IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR by Andy Williams. Find and play yours!

    Dr Braccio & Dave Akerly of 1320 AM WILS- CHRISTMAS IS THE GREAT CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY WHERE GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON-JESUS CHRIST-TO DIE FOR US TO MAKE UP FOR ALL OF OUR SINS AND ALLOW US TO END UP TOGETHER IN ETERNITY.

    CHRISTMAS IS THE GREAT CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY WHERE GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON-JESUS CHRIST-TO DIE FOR US TO MAKE UP FOR ALL OF OUR SINS AND ALLOW US TO END UP TOGETHER IN ETERNITY. It is a day of joy for Christians and those respectful of Christian beliefs and traditions. One can listen to the joyous and exuberant combination of Mario Lanza’s rendition of JOY TO THE WORLD and Andy William’s IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR to wonderfully and with great passion feel both the religious emphasis of Lanza and the secular emphasis of Williams. The contrast combined together includes both reverence for Jesus Christ and the symbols of Christmas that would include such things as Christmas Trees/ornaments, nativity scenes, Santa Claus, holly, wonderful meals, candy canes, and Christmas Cards. In this difficult pandemic, we are experiencing, many persons will have limited access to other persons. In such times, Christmas can be a time for personal reflection, spiritual/moral improvement, reliving memories of past Christmases, immersing self in beautiful Christmas/spiritual music and readings. For those feeling isolated, it is a time to make contact with internet and phone tools that allow positive and even loving contact that unfortunately does not include personal contact. For those of us who will be with loved ones on Christmas, let us feel blessed and make an effort to reach out to those who are alone. Christians reaching out to others alone at Christmas would be a gift of love well representative of the Christmas spirit at its zenith.

    THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS FOR CHRISTIANS

    An important note is that religious traditions are important to all religious groups. The reason for focusing on Christians is that December 25th is a national holiday that many millions of Americans celebrate now and have since before the founding of the country. Christian traditions develop strong relational bonds between persons of all ages. In a world with increasing isolation for many persons, building Christian family traditions can be a bridge to a better sense of belonging with an important and loving group. For Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrating his birth includes such things as wreaths, nativity scenes, Christmas Trees, gifts, special foods, family get-togethers, caroling , religious ceremonies, nativity scenes, and yes, the Hallmark Channel Movies on Christmas. For one example of the importance and longevity of these traditions, my wife has spent all 70 Christmas Eves of her life celebrating them with ever-changing and developing family members over the generations as people die and are born. She spent her first 17 years in Cuba raised by a Cuban mother and a Spanish father. She brought her Christmas traditions with her and we continue them with our children and grandchildren. Her traditions are essentially the same as I experienced with an Italian-born father. Christians believe with faith that those that live now will eventually meet and spend eternity with family members no longer here. These beliefs are cemented in the traditions of  Christmas and other great Christian holidays. The birth of Christ is the never-ending birth of Christianity and the resulting traditions.

     

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    Be Kind and Reach Out To Others During The Christmas Holiday Period

    One need not be a psychologist to see that this time of year is very hard for a lot of people emotionally.  Sadly, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations along with any other celebrated holidays remind silifke eskort ilanları many people of happier times.  Since then, many family members may have grown apart, developed into separate units or simply lost interest in the concept of family or your part in it.  There also are problems of divorce, separation, death and distance from loved ones that keep people apart.  Television and concerts bombard us daily with the joys of Christmas.

     For those of us who have loving and caring family and friends near us at this time, the following are a few things to do to make life happier for you and help others who may not be as happy at this joyous time for millions.

     1.  Give a smile and a friendly hello to people.  This can make a person’s day.  We sometimes forget this is often a time of personal isolation even in a crowd of people.

    2.  Call relatives and friends that may be alone, away from loved ones, grieving the loss of loved ones or just having a hard time emotionally.  Let them know you care.

    3.  Invite persons and relatives to holiday events who you know are alone and would greatly appreciate it.

    4.  Invite someone to breakfast or lunch you feel it could be helpful.

    5.  Volunteer at church and/or community events as possible.

    6.  If a Christian, focus on the birth of Christ and his message of love and forgiveness.  To give and receive reasonable gifts for Christmas is nice but we must not lose track of what Christmas represents.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Holiday Period

    The holidays can be a very difficult period for persons grieving the loss of loved ones, struggling financially, feeling a loss of happier times, separated from loved ones and in poor health.This is supposed to be mersin esc the happiest of times as we hear the glories of Christmas and the holiday season. We must remember as joyful as it may be for you, many persons are suffering. The joys you may not have only magnify the unhappiness one may feel. If you know someone suffering this holiday time, do the following as possible:

    1. Be patient.
    2. Listen and be empathetic.
    3. Share a hug, smile or even a cry if appropriate.
    4. Share spiritual values and beliefs to give strength.
    5. Share a happy story.
    6. If a Christian, delight in the birth Jesus Christ and which he means to all Christians.

    This topic is discussed in a recent podcast from a segment I did with Jack Ebling on “Ebling and You”.
    The best is wished to each and every one of you as we enjoy Christmas, one of the world’s greatest religious holidays!