Ok! Here we are only a few days before Christmas, and once again the pain is trying to win! As always Christmas is proving to be a challenge. What I don’t get is that the shopping was done a long time ago and the stress hasn’t really been all that bad. It just goes to show that it doesn’t take very much to set things off.  In a couple of days I’ll be able to relax with only our family at our cottage, and hopefully see an improvement in how I’m feeling.  Then in only a few short weeks after that my wife and I are off to Hawaii for some much needed rest. So it won’t be long before I start to see an improvement in how I’m feeling.

Christmas can be a really hard time for those of us that suffer from CRPS even though we want to enjoy this time of year and everything that it means to us. Many people find it hard to laugh or smile at this time of year because your so busy fighting the pain. So my goal today is to try and have a laugh or two and forget about the pain for a minute. I’m determined to enjoy Christmas, and so the easiest way I can see doing that is to do lots of laughing. As I was watching some videos the other night, I came across a video that might get you in the Christmas spirit. As well as make you laugh a bit! So ten years have passed and I had to add this in because someone decided to take down the video. So my apologies. I promise you though it was funny!

I don’t know about you but I have a hard time trying to remember and sing one song let alone 25 of them!! So are you in the Christmas spirit yet?  When I look back over the years I’ve had so many great moments with family and friends. That’s what seems to make this time of the year so great. Just looking back at the memories within my family bring all kinds of Christmas memories flooding back. When you have a family with kids like I do, all those memories are heightened because your kids are always reminding you about those Christmas years as a child. I can remember mom and dad calling me from my room on Christmas Eve almost in a state of panic. They would have the radio on and it would be a report from the north pole, and about where Santa’s sleigh was at that hour. Mom and Dad would hype things up and tell me it wouldn’t be long before he came to our house!!!! I can remember laying in bed awake waiting for him to arrive. Those were memories etched into my brain forever. It’s the one time of the year that people seem to slow down and actually spend time together as a family.

In my family there seems to be a whole bunch of bursting out into song, and it doesn’t matter when or where, it just seems to happen! At this time of the year though it seems to happen more and more often. It isn’t unusual to have my daughters break out into carols at the dinner table, making us laugh when they throw in the odd wrong word that can change the direction and meaning of the song. There are times where my youngest daughter will wake us up singing jingle bells at the top of her lungs!!

The little girl in this video reminds me of the fun that goes on around our house, and with all the in-laws at this time of the year. Again this is another video that the owner took down. Trust me though it was good. There is singing, dancing, and always lots of laughing that goes on around these parts over the holiday season. When I think about the memories and the new ones that I’m creating with my own children, then it takes my mind off all the things that have happened, and the changes that have happened as a result. It helps me to think about all the joy and happiness that I have in my life. I don’t deny for a second that Christmas can be hard to handle when your dealing with CRPS/RSD, or that it’s harder to deal with the pain. However it doesn’t have to be about that all the time. Christmas doesn’t have to be something you dread.

Laughing and remembering all those special times, helps to reduce the stress which in turn reduces the pain.  It’s all about taking back your life, and not letting this disease win. Using all the tools that we are given to minimize our pain is going to help in you making the best of the season. There is one memory that sticks out the most about this time of the year and it’s this!

This story even though it’s told through a modern platform is what it’s all about. Take half a second this year to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. If you find yourself one of those people that finds this time of year hard to deal with, then I hope this year is different. Merry Christmas everyone!