The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer

       So finals are right around the corner for a lot of you, and though that is always a tough unfortunate time, we at So Danca wanted to extend our hopes and confidence in you and tell you to not give up, that you can do this, once it is done you'll feel much better and then Christmas will be upon you full of foods and presents!

      And though Christmas is still a few weeks away here are a few things you can do to to cheer yourself up and get in the spirit of the season! This list could be endless, really, but here are a few of our favorites:

     Putting up the Christmas tree is always a great way to ready yourself for the holidays, its a transition symbol. Once the tree is up and you are beheld by its beauty and all that comes with it,  you cannot help but to smile and look forward to what is to come. Be it putting the tree up with family or at school with friends, this is always a great idea, specially if you are missing home.      

     Watching classic and new Christmas movies is always a great one too, from "The Grinch", to "Elf", to "Love Actually", to "A Christmas Carol", and of course the four classics, "White Christmas", "Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story". There you go, if your excuse was that you didn't know any movies to watch now you have nine to watch, if you're a guy and are looking at me saying something along the lines of "There are no good guy movies on that list, so I'm not watching them", well here you go then, my favorite "guy" Christmas movies, "Die Hard", "Gremlins", "Scrooged", "Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Bad Santa", there you go, no excuses now, everyone can get in the Christmas spirit together.

    An oldie but a goodie, depending on where you live and such, is caroling. Caroling is a lost art, one I myself am not a huge fan of, though I do enjoying carolers, and everyone that I've met that does go out caroling always have a ton of fun and come back really happy, as if by singing to strangers they made their lives better, and you know what? I bet they do, I bet they do indeed.

   Now we could end this entry with saying watch fun youtube videos of people going to crazy on their light shows at their houses, and that would have been an ok ending, but there is one more way that you can get in the Christmas spirit, a simple way, and personally I find to be one of the most rewarding ways, and that is starting your Christmas shopping. There is something to giving someone a gift that really uplifts your spirit, it can be something small, something you made, something big even, whatever the gift might be, being able to give something to someone you care about is a great thing. So go to the mall, or if you're low on money then beginning making something, maybe a mix cd, or a framed picture, and start getting the presents on your Christmas list bought. Then go on youtube and watch some videos, lol.

   Be encouraged, love much, remember to rest, surround yourself with those you love, and have a great week.

Love from your humble blogger,

Hell Week: A Call to Persevere

     With the end of the year approaching and deadlines arriving many are going through, have recently gone through or will go through, what is known as, hell week. For high/middle school students this is that exam period you face prior to Christmas break, for undergrad and grad school students this is that period of papers that need to be turned in followed by exams (I salute you all), for everyone out of school in the real world deadlines are approaching, or even that payment that needs to be taken care of by the end of the month, all of you are going through a difficult time, this is a call, a plea, if you will, for you to persevere and seize the day!

       Every year this week comes, may it be one single hell week or a combination of weeks that compose your hell well, we all go through it, we are all facing it head on, and in the end of the day the sense of accomplishment for having survived hell week is unparalleled by any another accomplishment. So persevere my brothers and sisters, though you may be tired, though you may find yourself thinking about quitting, persevere. It is unfortunate that hell week doesn't end at school, but such is the way of life, where school prepares you for the trials of the real world, and much like school, those that prepare for hell week usually do better than the rest and have less stress due to it, but for the rest of us out there struggling I sympathize, and encourage for you can do this, believe in yourself.

       Exams aren't fun, true I'll give you that, and papers are hard to finish, and an angry boss is not easily calmed, and sometimes that payment just doesn't come through, this is also a reality of hell week. Some out there will not survive this week, for a reason or another you will not be able to finish the race, still I urge you to hold your head up high and persevere, for not all will survive all hell weeks that is a simple truth. So have a cry, mourn for a few days, then pick yourself up and start over, fight to the finish, do not give up, look at the world and scream "Who do you think I am?" and though you might fall and fail from time to time always fight on, and one day, one day you will see victory and it will be grand.

      So as you go through your own hell week hold your head high and fight to the finish, give it your all, truly all that matters in the end is that you did give it your all, that you fought with all your might, don't let the world bring you down, always seize the day, always look upon tomorrow as a new opportunity to excel, always give it your all even when you can't find the energy to do so, face life head on, face hell week head on, and fight to the finish, show the world what you can do and persevere.

     So may it be a job, a performance, a competition, a paper or a test that makes up your own hell week, I urge you to face this beast and persevere, no matter the outcome persevere, never let anyone look down on you, but give it your all, remember that we all have our own unique talents, no one has the mind of another, and no one has the same creative talents that you do, so go and be encouraged during this hell week, fight with all your might, and persevere!

     Be encouraged, you got this, believe in yourself, and believe in the you that I and those around you, who love and care about you, believe in.

Love from your humble blogger,