Hi All,

Today the angels talk about enjoying the holidays more authentically by releasing yourself from expectations and choosing the activities that genuinely light you up. I'll share how I recreated my holidays years ago during a big life change, and some additional ways you can have a more authentic holiday season.

Have a blessed & beautiful week :)
♥ Ann

by Ann Albers in Northern AZ

My dear friends, we love you so very much,

As you move into your holiday season, breathe. Remind yourself to relax, slow down, and enjoy the moment. It is better to do less with more love than more with less love. It is better to fully engage in the activities you choose rather than rush through them and, in so doing, miss the moments of your life.

The universe responds to you as you are now. No matter what you have or haven't done for lifetimes, decades, or even in the past five minutes, now is all that matters. You are who you are because you are thinking thoughts now. You are experiencing what you experience because the universe is responding to your vibration now. Often what you are vibrating to is the result of many thoughts you have thought in the past. You develop patterns, momentum, and, therefore, vibrations that are well-practiced. Nonetheless, the universe is responding to you now and only now.

Suppose you were a musician. Imagine you practiced a song until you could play it by rote, only to discover a little later, that a few notes were off. You would have to re-learn the song. Teaching yourself the new notes might take a great deal of practice and perseverance since the old ones were so well-practiced. You could do it, of course. It would just take some effort.

Likewise, you have many practiced patterns of thought. Some are "on key" because they create feelings of love in your life. Some are off the key of love because they don't make you happy. Some are complex notes – a little love mixed with a little less. It may take some work to practice new thoughts that feel like love. It may take some diligence and compassion for yourself to develop new habits. You can do it, however, and the rewards are well worth the effort.

The holidays, especially, have many practiced patterns of thought. Some activate beautiful feelings within you. A song, a smell, a particular food, the twinkling of lights, or the lighting of a candle can activate vibrations of warmth, joy, and comfort. For others of you, these can activate very painful memories.

If your holiday activities activate joyful feelings, enjoy them! If they activate painful feelings, then it is time for a change. Create new traditions, new beliefs, and new activities that please you more. Do this, whether or not the new is related to the old. You don't have to celebrate just because everyone else is. You don't have to mail cards, go to gatherings, or play special music if it doesn't give you joy. You may prefer a quiet retreat or a simple gathering of friends. Do what makes your heart sing. Bring a new you to the present moment. Be like a child. Look for what is interesting, pleasing, and fun – wherever you are. A child may cry one moment but then quickly look for what is more enjoyable the next. So can you.

Dear ones, your holidays are meant to be a season of light. Emotions are running high this year, yet you can embrace the light and the love within you more dearly than ever before. Permit yourselves to slow down, savor the moments, and live in a state of love. What you do or who you are with, who understands, approves or not, is infinitely less important than whether or not you choose to honor your own heart.

As your world struggles to recreate itself, let the light of the season be born within you once again – in this moment and the next, with honesty, authenticity, and a commitment to your own good-feeling season.

God Bless You! We love you so very much.
-- The Angels

Hi Everyone,

I love the holidays. No matter what is going on in my life or the world, they remain celebrations of light for me. Years ago, when my life changed, after a divorce, quitting my job, losing all but one of my old friends, and becoming an intuitive, I faced my first Christmas alone. I knew it was up to me to create the spirit of the season and that I'd have to do it differently. I bought a tree and put it up in my apartment. I found pine cones and painted them gold. I picked sprays of white flowers in nature and stuffed them in among the greenery. Inexpensive red plastic bulbs and hand-made ornaments completed my little masterpiece. My tree was decorated with love.

I made myself a traditional dinner and ate it to the sound of Silent Night. I went into meditation and spent my Christmas Eve in the same silence that was present in a manger so long ago. I held a quiet vigil and connected with the Christ energy in a way I had never done before in all my years of church and social gatherings.

On Christmas day, I woke up and opened the presents I had bought and wrapped for myself. It felt fun and somewhat liberating in a way. That finished, I made pancakes. I didn't know what to do next so I sat until a local mountain popped in my mind. Bucking tradition, I put on my hiking clothes and headed for the hill! On top of a mountain, I met the kindest families. I was even serenaded by a kilt-wearing, happy, humorous Scottish exchange student whose friends had dragged him to the top, bagpipes and all! It was definitely not a traditional Christmas day but it was oh so much fun.

Over the years, I've recreated the holidays with my own traditions. Once a year, on Thanksgiving, I cook a twelve-course meal with all the trimmings. My house is filled with lights, greenery, and handmade decor. It smells of simmering cinnamon and orange on the stove, while outside, the yard is vibrant green, roses are blooming, lemons are ripening, and my late-season watermelon is still trying to decide if she will come to fruition. It is a beautiful time of year. The Presence of light fills my heart and home.

I've not been handed this on a silver platter. I made one choice at a time. I planted one plant with love at a time. I put in one tree at a time. I cook one dish at a time, and I put my trees up one ornament at a time. I love one client at a time. I save up for the gifts I want to share one day at a time. I sit with the Divine and receive love one minute at a time.

The world can get us down if we let it. People can be hurtful. Many of my relationships have changed over the years. Some have become brilliantly beautiful and others have sadly left. I've been loved, judged, praised, and crucified, but one thought at a time I choose to live in love. It is a lovely way to live, not only during the holidays but every day that we can.

Here are a few tips to help you add more love to your holidays...

1. Ask yourself what matters & be honest

No answer is more right, holy, or pleasing to the Divine when you ask yourself, "What matters?" than an honest answer. What matters to you may not matter to me. What matters to me may not matter to you. It is OK. You do you.

There is always a heaping list of expectations around the holidays, so before they get in full swing, stop, and ask yourself which activities really matter to you. Which make your heart and soul sing? Which feel like drudgery. No guilt here. No self-judgment. Just honesty.

Then resolve to either do what brings you joy or bring your joy to the things that usually don't. You are in charge of your life. The external expectations may be huge, but ultimately those who truly love you would rather be around a happier version of you.

2. Be in the moment

If you're going to enjoy something, bring your whole self to it. Focus on it or the people involved. Make your to-do-later lists if you must, but bring your focus into the now. Focus on the good. Focus on the beauty in the people around you. If people present something less, ask better questions of them. "How have you had fun this year? Have you don't anything interesting? What is the best thing you learned this year?"

While I prefer having elevated conversations with others who choose to feel good, the angels have taught me that, with diplomacy and love, I can bring out the good in others. If I cannot steer a conversation towards greater love, I remain silent and imagine the light pouring from my heart to the other. That vibration, in and of itself, often shifts and elevates conversations.

3. Do more of what gives you joy

If a cup of hot cocoa, a warm blanket, and a movie bring you more joy than a holiday party, enjoy being authentic and cozy at home. If you want to attend a gathering but aren't invited to one, create one of your own. Invite neighbors or people you find interesting. Do what calls to your own heart.

If you are grieving and missing a dear one, you may not feel like doing anything remotely related to what you once did. Drop into your heart and see what feels right to you right now. Sit quietly and allow your dear one in spirit – in their glorious, loving, light-filled reality – to embrace you. There is no more beautiful way to feel the spirit of the season than to allow a loved one in heaven to surround you and fill you with the love they live and abide in daily. You will miss what has been, but you can surrender to who they are now. You can sit, breathe, receive, and like that cold lamp or the empty manger, wait for their light to fill and illuminate you. You can create new traditions that honor their spirit and your eternal relationship.

It is not always easy to be true to yourself when there are so many long-standing traditions and expectations, but ultimately the holidays are about birthing the light within, and brining that light into a world in need. During the upcoming season I wish you a heart filled peace, joy, and the spirit of the season.

Have a blessed & beautiful week :)
Love,
Ann

In between Thanksgiving and Christmas I eat a lot of things I don't usually! This is why a few comfy, somewhat healthy deserts feel really wonderful. In this kind-of-classic recipe for baked acorn squash, I use monk-fruit sweetner for its zero calorie, low glycemic sweet goodness, and a drizzle of molasses to make it more "brown sugary." Adding a scoop of greek yogurt, and optionally some nuts or pomengranate seeds makes it healthier and yet feel more decadant!

As many acorn squash as you want to serve.
1 squash makes 2 servings

1/2 c greek yogurt per squash
1 1/2 tsp monk fruit sweetner per squash
drizzle of molasses per squash
4 tsp butter per squash and a little more if you like

optional - pomengranate seeds for sprinkling
optional – pistachios, pecans, or other nuts of choice for sprinkling
optional - drizzle of honey on top of each

Line a sheet pan or cookie tray with foil or parchment. If using a cookie tray , it is best to use foil and turn the edges up so it doesn't leak.

Half each squash horizontally and cut a little off each end, so the halves can sit upright with the pretty round side open. Scoop out the seeds.

Put the squash halves, scooped-side down, on your baking pan or sheet. Roast for 20-25 min. Flip them over and then prick with a knife or fork. Put 1 T butter in each, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp monk fruit sweetner and a drizzle of molasses (gives it a brown sugar taste). Bake another 25-30 minuntes until a knife slides in easily.

Put 1/4 c greek yogurt in the center of each. Sprinkle with pomengranate and chopped nuts if you like. If you have a super sweet tooth you can drizzle some honey on top.