Prior to the holiday, they had attended a kids-only shopping event at their elementary school where they could purchase gifts for $1 and less.

On Chanukah, I gave them my gifts, which they opened with much appreciation and joy.  And they exchanged gifts amongst themselves and with me.

The youngest, my three-year-old nephew, was thrilled to open a new soccer ball and baseball glove.  But what made him shriek with glee?  My 11-year-old niece had given him a little suction cup critter.  The kind that’s on a spring so that when you push it together, the suction cup adheres to the base and gradually loosens, making the little plastic critter pop up and jump into the air. Josh abandoned all other gifts, and played with that plastic critter for quite some time – clapping and shrieking every time it popped and jumped.

And my favorite gift? My niece gave me a button with the word “joy” in white letters on a mauve background. She said she “thought it was my color,” but I suspect she also knew I’d love the sentiment.  I immediately pinned it to my backpack.

The other cool gifts I got from the kids included a lipstick case, a poem, a school photo, and a gumball-machine ring.  My five-year-old niece fell in love with the ring that her 8-year-old sister had given me, so we all agreed that she could have it.

Other gifts they exchanged amongst themselves included stick-on earrings, bookmarks, a lip gloss case, rings, and hand-made cards and drawings.  When the 5-year-old gave the 11-year old a ring inscribed “I love you,” she proudly proclaimed, “Because it’s true!”

In all, it was a fabulous Chanukah.  The kids each spent less than $5 on their holiday gifts this year, yet every purchase was well considered, and each gift was well received.

In this time of belt-tightening, it was nice to be reminded that sometimes a $1 gift can bring as much joy as a $50 gift.  I left there feeling like the richest aunt in the world.

I wish you all a holiday filled with love, laughter, peace, and many simple joys. 

During the late ’80s, we lived in the same metropolitan area as we attended graduate school, and we struck up a strong friendship. Our lives were in synch as we reached various milestones together: we met our husbands; had our bridal showers; and got married. I helped coordinate her wedding and she was my matron of honor.

In the ensuing years, I moved five hours away and eventually got divorced. She settled comfortably into family life with a gorgeous home, two children, and a dog.

Needless to say, distance and circumstance pulled us apart, and our phone conversations and visits became less frequent before eventually stopping altogether.

It’s not that we planned on drifting apart. Or even gave it much thought. It just happened as other priorities took hold of our lives.

A few weeks back, I received an invitation to her oldest son’s bar mitzvah, which I accepted without hesitation.

Yesterday I decided to call her to finalize plans. It was so wonderful to hear her voice! Time melted away as we fell into comfortable conversation and tried to catch up on our respective life changes and family matters. As we spoke, it struck me how so many things had changed — but how nothing really had.

And that is the great thing about the connections we make as we travel through life. Friends truly are “the family we choose for ourselves.” When we connect with another human being, he or she becomes a crucial part of the fabric of our lives. And just as with family, the constructs of distance and time do not diminish the love we have for them in our hearts.

The upcoming holiday season is a great time to reconnect with old friends and extended family. Why not make the first move, pick up the phone and make the call? You’ll be happy you did.

It has become an addiction of sorts. But, oh what a happy addiction!

On days when the morning sun shines brightly through my living room window, I place the camera on its tripod, position both kaleidoscope and camera within the beam of light, and start shooting. I’ve snapped the shutter well over a thousand times in the past few weeks, resulting in about 25-30 frames that were visually compelling enough to make the cut.

The cut for what? Well, after noodling a bit on how best to display the photos, I decided to create an oversized kaleidoscope wall calendar with some of the best shots. The images have been coupled with inspiring quotes to add another dimension to the project.

Having become quite attached to some of the individual photos, I also placed them on framed tiles and keepsake boxes, as well as throw pillows and a wide variety of holiday ornaments.

There are 18 ornaments available to date, and these are a few of my favorites:

As I mentioned previously, I’ve become quite enthralled by the colorful moving shapes in my kaleidoscope, and I’m even happier that I can now combine my love of color and light with my love of photography in a way that captures an ephemeral instance for all to share.

So what is your passion? What do you absolutely love to do?

Finding something that you are passionate about is a fabulous way to increase happiness. If you make the time to do something you enjoy, you nurture your soul and enrich your life. And when you’re happy, everyone around you is a little happier too.

As the holidays approach, make sure to carve out a little time just for yourself, to do something you truly enjoy.

According to Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, the public is expected to embrace many shades of the optimistic color as people look to the future for positive change. We can expect to see shades of yellow on clothing, accessories, home furnishings and more in the coming months.

Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors. My bat mitzvah invitations were yellow and orange, because even at age thirteen, I was already drawn to the happy colors of sunshine and warmth.

But what I see when I look at the “mimosa” color swatch now is not just the “most wonderful symbolic color of the future,” as quoted by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

I see my Mom’s carpet and appliances. I see a color similar to one that was ubiquitous in any home of the ’70s, along with burnt orange and olive green! I look at that swatch, and I’m transported back across 3.5 decades and seven states to the home of my youth.

While prompting us to “look forward with optimism” is certainly one effect the 2009 “mimosa” color will have on our collective psyches, it may not be solely due to the color’s inherent warm and cheery nature. I suspect the subconscious conjuring of happy memories as we gaze upon a familiar shade from years past will contribute as well.

So here’s to embracing shades of golden yellow as we begin a new era while reflecting back on days gone by. I am hopeful that we’ll all have a truly happy, sunny, and optimistic 2009.

Ben took in the hike from a carrier on his dad’s back. He didn’t miss a trick, pointing out the birds in the sky, dogs, airplanes, and even a squirrel as we walked along.

Every time we approached a tree (which was often, as we were hiking in the woods!), Ben would gleefully blurt out “teee,” and reach out to try to touch it.

I was struck by the complete wide-eyed wonder with which he viewed every tree – as if each one was different and special and possessed by some magical quality. The eyes of a child are open to so many things that we’ve learned to overlook, pass by, or simply ignore.

Wouldn’t it be cool if everything we encountered brought us joy? If we were able to see the world through a lens of child-like wonder?

Interestingly, all it takes is a little practice to re-learn how to “see.”

Some time in the next few days, make an effort to look at something you haven’t given much thought to lately. Really look closely at its shape, color, texture, etc. If you had to describe it to someone wearing a blindfold, what would you say? Use your other senses too. Does it make a sound? Does it smell? What does it feel like? You may want to jot down some of your observations.

After trying this exercise a few times (try it outdoors with trees, rocks, bushes, ponds, streams, etc.), you’ll likely start to notice things you weren’t aware of previously. As with anything else, the more you practice, the more proficient you’ll become. And you’ll become more attuned to the joy and magic in what was once invisible.

It has been widely reported that practicing gratitude can increase happiness. So what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that if we remember to say “thank you” that we’ll be happier?

Well, that’s a part of it.

The studies that reported the best results (a 25% increase in happiness!) used a very specific exercise involving a gratitude journal. Participants in the “grateful” groups wrote down five things they were grateful for each week for ten weeks. By study’s end, they reported feeling better about their lives in general and being more optimistic about the future than participants in the other study groups.

Nearly a year ago, I began my own gratitude journal. On the advice of a mentor, I wrote every day rather than once a week.

So what has happened? I definitely see the world through a brighter lens! Life is good, despite my having faced significant job-related challenges over the past few months.

You might wonder what kinds of things to write in a gratitude journal. Strangely, there is no magic formula. My entries range from the mundane (I’m grateful that I have my friend Karl in my life) to the special (I’m grateful that my niece wanted to spend a night at my house as her birthday present!)

Generally, entries reflect things that happened that day. If I’ve had a particularly difficult day, I try to dig a little deeper to find something for which I am grateful.

Some recent entries:

• I’m grateful that I didn’t get the job at xxxxx, because the commute would have been difficult.
• I’m grateful that I saw a gorgeous buck and doe at close range on my hike today
• I’m grateful for afternoon naps

You get the idea.

Now it’s your turn. Go out and get an empty notebook or journal and put it next to your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, think about things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Make sure you try to write at least two things every night.

In about three months time, despite what is happening in your life, I suspect you will notice a measurable difference in your sense of well-being.

Oh, and when you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table this coming Thursday and you’re asked what you are thankful for, you’ll be well prepared to answer!

I tried to suggest that happiness may not be something one seeks, but he kept cutting me off with another story about how miserable he was.  In his mind, the only thing that would release him from his misery was finding a woman to love. 

At the end of our date, I politely thanked him and began to walk away. He came after me, and implored, “But don’t you want to be happy?!” I looked at him, smiled, and answered, “I am happy.” And he somehow took that as an offense, said something rude, and stormed away.

I was reminded of that strange experience yesterday, as I stumbled upon some quotes on the topic of “finding happiness” while looking for pithy quotes for a project.  I thought these two were worth sharing:

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.    ~Frederick Keonig

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.  ~ Helen Keller

When I headed out at 2 p.m. it was a balmy 72 degrees outside, but the sky was black to the west and the wind was gusting to 30 miles per hour. Within 15 minutes the rain began falling, but in another 15 minutes the storm had passed, the temperature had dropped to 55 degrees on its way to the 40s, and the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds.

As I was heading into the grocery store, it began to sprinkle again – but the sun was still out. So naturally, I turned around – and saw a full rainbow beginning to form. I stopped and watched as it got more vibrant against the dark clouds.

Soon I could see not only the full rainbow, but under the violet stripe were all the colors again – but in very skinny stripes. And to top it off – there appeared a second arc above the first – making a full double (triple?) rainbowIt was gorgeous.

I stood out in the drizzle a bit longer – and turned to watch the other shoppers running into the store, completely oblivious to the splendor unfolding just behind them. One lady did stop, noticed my smile, and said, “It’s beautiful isn’t it?!” We had a nice chat. I was grateful that I was able to share the experience, and I passed the rest of the afternoon with a smile in my heart.

A couple hours later, as sunset approached, it was again drizzling. I had just reached the mall, and was circling the top of the parking deck looking for a space, when the sun dropped below the clouds to the west and I was treated to ANOTHER rainbow!

Vibrant Double Rainbow at Sunset

Now that was a first for me – two rainbows in one day (and just hours after I had started this blog!) — and this time, I grabbed my camera as soon as I was able to find a parking space.

This rainbow wasn’t a full arc like the first, but it was double.  And it was absolutely the brightest rainbow I have ever seen. Ever.

And the coolest part? Three teenage boys with shoulder-length hair walking towards the mall were pointing and exclaiming, “It’s a double one!” as they took in the scene. They saw it. They appreciated it. And they were drinking it all in.

So how about you? On the rainy days when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, do you turn your gaze skyward? Or are you too busy with your day-to-day life to allow yourself to be distracted?

Sometimes stopping for a moment to look at something beautiful is all you need to shake the doldrums. Getting out of your head and allowing yourself to “be” in a moment might just bring a smile to your face.

A few weeks later, I saw a car with a license plate that said “UNFROWN.”  I smiled. And I thought – what a great name for a blog!  So I rushed home and registered the domain. 

This blog will be about all the things that make me (and hopefully you!) smile.   We’ll talk about products, cool happenings, techniques you can use to increase your happiness, and so, so much more.  I invite you to come on this journey with me and see what we can discover. There will be room for comments and dialog as we go. 

So, without further ado, let’s get this blog rolling!