Merry Christmas from The Voluptua Project

Greetings TVP Fam!

I just wanted to take some time wish everyone a joyous and safe Christmas. Enjoy your time with family and friends and take time to remember those less fortunate that may not be able to experience a decent Christmas.

Please enjoy one of my favorite Christmas songs: This Christmas by Donny Hathaway!

Come, they told me: The Lesson of the Little Drummer Boy

It’s Christmas.  Well, almost.  If you’ve had your radio on in the last 2 weeks, you’ve heard my absolute favorite Christmas song, “Little Drummer Boy”.  It’s the sheer humility and adoration the boy expresses that gets me every time.  A lot of people are put off by the repetition of “Pah-rum-pah-pum-pum”, but listen past that…

“Baby Jesus, I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring that’s fit to give our King, but shall I play for you on my drum?  Mary nodded, the ox and lamb kept time.  Then He smiled at me, me and my drum.”

That to me is the ultimate show of love and giving that we should all have in this Christmas season.  Christmas has become so much about buying this and that, spending this much and that much, going broke fulfilling lists a mile long, that everyone has lost sight of what’s truly important.  Love.

Why do people not like gold diggers (think “Santa Baby”)?  Because they’re all about stuff.  They think your stuff is a symbol of your love (or for that matter, don’t care about your love at all, just your stuff).  Parents fall on the opposite end of that; they want to buy their children any and every thing they ask for, as if it validates them as parents.  Then there’s family…  So- and-So spent so little on you last year, so that’s what you’ll spend on them this year.  And you go broke trying to match the opulence of your brother’s present to your mom.  Will that make her love you more than if you offered your time?

Here’s a thought for this year, why not give according to your heart?  Why not look at giving like the Little Drummer Boy did?  He didn’t have anything to give.  Nothing tangible to place at the Christ Child’s feet.  Nothing that someone would look at and say, “I saw that at Macy’s… in the clearance section…”.  No shiny wrapping paper, no triple decimal gift card.  All he had was the one thing he knew better than anything else – playing his drum.  And that he gave.  His gift was so pleasing that Mary nodded along.  His gift was so real that even the lowliest of animals felt the love and joined in with him.  His gift was so significant that the Lord Most High gave His approval.  To anyone else, a little ragtorn child beating on a drum is more of a nuisance than anything else in the world.  But to Jesus, it was the most amazing gift.

That is what we should all strive for when giving this season.  Please someone’s heart, not their hands.  Strengthen your relationships with love, not stuff.  Give from your heart something that will warm someone else’s.  It’s a lot easier than you think.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God Bless You All!

Two,

Ms. De

About Donya:

Donya Vaughn is a So Cal native, collegiate of San Diego State University and graduate of the University of Life, mastering in “Wow, That Was Harder Than It Needed To Be”. Known to her close friends as “The Walking Encyclopedia”, Donya prides herself in being helpful, knowledgeable and ready to serve. She uses these traits along with unwavering optimism and Christian good spirit regularly as owner and consultant of As You Like… Wedding & Event Services.

Real Thanksgiving: A Fat Guy’s Guide to Living Graciously

It’s that time of year again! It seems that everyone is gearing up in preparation for Christmas and Thanksgiving festivities. Before I go on my rant, let me be clear: I have nothing against celebrating any of these or any other holidays! If it’s your thing, hey, more power to you! Now, with that mentioned, I’ll continue.

Why I’m not a fan of Christmas and Thanksgiving

Again, I have nothing against the idea behind these and other holiday (holy days?) traditions. My thing is, how is it that the idea behind the day is only a one time thing. What I mean is, why is it that we focus all our Thanksgiving on a single day in November instead of all year round? The same goes for Christmas. Shouldn’t people be celebrating the birth of Jesus every day of their lives? Doesn’t it make better sense to show the one you love how much they mean to you every day and not just on February 14th?

I know there are some of you out there that go out of your way to live thankfully, love wholeheartedly and give graciously all the time. Awesome! Keep up the great work and continue to lead by example. Still, I know a few people that I only hear from a few weeks before a major holiday so that their “on my mind” when it’s time to make my gift list. Needless to say, they gets nada! 🙂 But seriously, who does that?! I try to instill in my kids the importance of being helpful and thankful on a daily basis – and, more importantly, to do so without needing something in return.

I know some of you may be thinking it’s easier said than done. Well, here are a few suggestions that I’ve been thinking about or have been using over the years.

Real Thanksgiving Tips

• Discuss the real reason for the season: Take time to research and share the true meaning of Christmas and Thanksgiving (Or Hanukah, or Kwanza, etc.) with family and friends and help them understand that these ideals are meant to be practiced everyday, not just during the holidays.
• Create a Gratitude or Thanksgiving Calendar: I’m working on this one now. I am writing down 365 reasons why I should be thankful that will go on a calendar. Each day I will have a reason and/or affirmation why I should be grateful that I can contemplate (and share!) throughout the day!
• Develop your own traditions: You don’t have to celebrate only the holidays that are listed on the calendar. Get with family and friends and create your own special day (or week, or month) to really focus in on what matters. Then remember to take what you learned and shared and apply it to your every day lives.
• Volunteer to feed the homeless: This is something I’d like to begin doing this year as well. You want to learn about gratitude and humility while helping those in need then this is a great way to do it. Again, don’t just do it during the holidays; volunteer whenever you can.

Those are a few of the ideas I came up with for living graciously everyday. If you can think of any others feel free to share them in the comments; I’m very interested in what you come up with! 🙂