Page 4 - MidWeek - Dec 22, 2021

4 MIDWEEK DECEMBER 22, 2021
Clap On, Clap Off
What’s your favorite Christmas morning activity?
TRon is on medical leave. This column originally ran Dec. 20, 2017.
he thing about Christmas in the Nagasawa house is that we have so many sentimental traditions. It’s going to be quite different this year because, for
the first time in my 59 years, my mom won’t be with us on Christmas. I first noticed this when putting up our Christmas tree. Before the lights and decorations go on it, I have to trim the branches and shape the tree. I would always do this under the watchful eye of my mom. After all, she was trained in the Japanese flower-arranging art of ikebana.
NUNO ALVES
Executive Sous Chef, ‘Aiea
“Opening presents and decorating gingerbread houses as a family.”
ESME INFANTE
Newscaster, Mililani
“When my kids were little, my favorite activity was watching them open their gifts. They’re big now, so my favorite thing is making a decadent Christmas breakfast.”
EMMETT WINTERS
Educational Technologist, Honolulu
“Wearing matching pajamas with the family.”
APRIL FERMIN
Office Admin, Honolulu
“Drink my coffee (in peace) then plan my family’s Christmas party games.”
She would sit on the living room recliner while watch- ing a Japanese television show and drinking coffee. From there, she would direct my every move — telling me which branches I missed or to turn the tree a certain way because it was crooked. Truth be told, it irritated me to no end because I knew what I was doing. Now, I would give anything in the world to have her there. Even though my mom is not physi- cally present, my family won’t allow me to not include her. I still had to hang her “Nana” Christmas stocking with ours.
Ron Nagasawa
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Do You Really H Have To Stress?
ave you considered the possibility that you can get everything done without stress? Lately, I’m hearing people say they “can’t help” but be
stressed because they have so much to do. It seems the reason they stress boils down to the fear of loss. Whether it is a loss of respect, a loss of status or of letting someone down, refocusing can relieve stress.
If you relate to “stressing out while trying to get ev- erything done,” you can break the bond that ties produc- tivity to stress by using focused intent. Say to yourself each morning, “I look forward to being productive, and experiencing a day filled with ease.”
Begin to reprogram yourself so that over time, you find yourself being productive without experiencing stress and being overwhelmed.
alice@yourhappinessu.com
In fact, it’s right between my kids’ stockings and above the stockings of our dogs Buddy and Wilson. That’s right, our dogs have their own Christmas stockings.
One of the things that is a “must” decoration is a lighted garland that I attach to the handrail on our stairs. I bought it for the first Christmas in our house 25 years ago. My mom would hold our son while I attached it, and then they would clap when I lit it up. Later, it became a ritual for my mom and our daughter.
The other evening, our daughter reminded me that I need- ed to put up the stair garland “to make it feel like Christmas.” Well, after 25 years of use, the light strand wouldn’t work. It was “old school,” so I had to locate the burnt-out bulb and replace it. I tediously went over every bulb in the 12-foot length of lights. It still wouldn’t work. I couldn’t throw away the garland for the sentimental role it had, so I had to unravel the lights intertwined with it and replace the string of lights. It was tedious and took every ounce of patience I could drum up. I still had the lights plugged in so I would know when I replaced the correct bulb. After an hour, I finally separated the light string from the garland. That’s when I accidentally dropped the lights on the tile floor. It must have jarred some- thing because suddenly the entire string of lights went on.
And as the lights sparkled, I swear I heard my mom clap- ping.
rnagasawa@midweek.com