Thanksgiving is only a few days away.  It is safe to say the holiday season has officially begun.  The stores are filled with Christmas decorations.  The reruns of Golden Girls and Frasier that I usually fall asleep watching have been replaced with non-stop Hallmark Christmas movies (I can’t say that I’m happy about that) .  The season of holiday cheer is here.

Unfortunately for many people this is not a joyful season at all. Honestly these last few Christmases since my dad passed away I have struggled.  For many of us this is a sentimental time of year full of memories.  Memories of good times that may make the present day feel lacking and memories of not so good times that may create a sense of dread about the holidays to come.  In general the holidays are times when reflection is common and all that reflection can bring about feelings that are not always pleasant.

With that being said and Thanksgiving being merely days away I’m going to give you a suggestion to help you through Turkey Day.  Obviously you should count your blessings and what you are thankful for but in addition to that I have another idea.  I do believe there is a certain amount of Joy that comes from being honest with ourselves.  So if you are not looking forward to Turkey Day I say admit it to yourself and do something really off the wall. Go To Work!!!  

I know, I know, crazy idea, right?  This suggestion is not for everyone.  I got the idea from a friend of mine who happens to love Thanksgiving.  We were talking about how some people have a hard time during the holidays.  Especially if they are far away from family, don’t have any family, don’t get along with their family or for some other reason have negative emotions tied to the holiday.  My friend’s response, “I’d just go to work”.  It was such a simple solution to a rather complex issue.  Men are good at that sometimes, coming up with quick and easy solutions.

If Thanksgiving is not your thing, here are a few reasons you may want to work on Turkey day:

• Money, Money, Money, Money!!!  If you have a position where you get time and a half or even double time the bump in your pay check for working the holiday can be substantial.   This can come in handy especially if you have lots of gift giving or other holiday related expenses to cover in the next few weeks.  Money can’t buy happiness but it is still nice 🙂 

• Give other’s Joy! There are many people who have to go to work on Thanksgiving.  Positions associated with Hospitals, Law Enforcement, Transportation, Retail, Food Services, and others all require people to come to work.  If you happen to work in one of those fields and Thanksgiving is not your thing or you just aren’t looking forward to it because you cannot celebrate the way you want, why not volunteer to work for one of your co-workers who is really excited about Turkey Day.  Covering for someone for a half day so they can come in later or leave early is also a really nice gesture.  This may not change how you feel about the holiday but you will feel really good about being a blessing to someone else.  It may also strengthen your relationship with your co-workers.

• Stay occupied!  Often if we are down, whether over the holidays or something else, it gets really easy to just dwell on all of the things that are bothering us.  Rather than sit around and think about all the reasons you are not enjoying Thanksgiving (missing loved ones, lack of finances to travel, unhappy with family life, or other issues) go to work and take your mind off of things.  The saying the idle mind is a devils workshop is true because it is in those times when we are unoccupied that we begin to feel worse and worse.  Going to work can keep your mind busy.

If for some reason you are feeling really crappy about Thanksgiving I have given you three good reasons to go to work to feel better.  If your normal 9 to 5 does not give you the opportunity to work the holiday busy yourself volunteering, working on your blog, hobby, or your own business. Another option can be to put yourself to work in the kitchen cooking for others, that’s what I’ll be doing.

The most obvious advice for someone not thrilled about how they are spending the Thanksgiving Holiday is to think about what they are thankful for and count their blessings.  Aside from that what advice would you give?  Do you think going to work is a good option? Have you ever voluntarily worked on a Holiday? Why?

P.S. If your online tonight join in for the #CJBL twitter chat at 9pm EST.  This will be a sneak peak at what the Chasing Joy Brunch and Learn will be like. We will be talking about how to have more Joy in our lives, setting goals for 2014, what our style says about us, and if our style is getting us where we want or standing in our way.  Do join in.  It will be fun!!!  Hashtag is #CJBL and follow me @Chasing_Joy.