It's remarkable how the holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, especially considering what they're based on, but yet so many people are so miserable or unhappy, ironically because of the expectation for the happiness and joy.

I was talking to a friend tonight that said, "It's just another couple of days. We could choose any other day." I think he's right in a lot of ways, but to even extend that thought, we could choose virtually any other day of the year to celebrate. In fact, it could be argued that we should celebrate things like love, relationships, our children, every day.

Human beings are incredibly resilient. Mother nature, evil and other forms of heartbreak knock us down all of the time, and usually, we get back up. The thing that we may find hard to admit is that we do it better with the help of other people. I've spent a great deal of the year understanding how to better take care of myself, but I've also come to grips with the idea that it's not a weakness to need the close company of people that you care about, and care about you. We're social animals.

So what do you do during the holidays when things aren't quite what you wish they would be? I think the first instinct is to be sad and depressed, but you have to fight through that and be thankful for the times you've had, and have a little faith that there will be more great times ahead. It really does soften the sting of loneliness and sadness a little.