Lists of Bests are Not Always a Source of Joy

Everywhere you turn these days, there are lists of bests for 2022. There are: best cookies, best movies, best books, best hotels, best adventures, best places to visit, best cars. And that’s just the start of the many lists that abound.

I don’t mean to be a holiday downer but these lists often do not add to the joy of the season. They can show what people missed. They can highlight how there wasn’t time or money to travel with work and family obligations. There wasn’t time to read “good books;” sometimes we settled for less than stellar literature because it was accessible and easy to digest. And for some, going to movies in a theater wasn’t an option due to costs and COVID and yes, there is streaming and online movie watching. Then there are those for whom the recipes offered aren’t wise; they involve sugar or alcohol or other ingredients that need to be avoided due to health or weight or allergies.

Seriously, I am not trying to be the holiday destroyer. What I am wondering is if there are simpler pleasures that don’t show up on lists of bests but they are the best. Think with me here. Consider a gift you give to a close friend; a cake you bake for a relative; a date with a new person; a hug from a child; a note from a long distance cousin; a visit to a church or a special place for contemplating.

Here’s my point: we write lists of bests because the lists sell and what’s on the lists sells. The lists almost always beg for you to spend. I am thinking the best thing to spend at this time of year is time. The best things to do are connect with each other and oneself. The best things to do don’t cost lots; they are not measured in dollars.

Now there are those with plenty of money who buy extravagant this and that, sometimes to make up for other shortcomings (like time). But, if you can spend, think about spending on others who need you or your time or your largess.

And, while we are on itemizing things, don’t get me started on New Year’s Resolution lists. They are the next thing to pop up in the media. And hint: these lists of things we promise to ourselves rarely pan out. Some resolutions fall by the wayside by Jan. 2 (if not before). So, here’s an idea to plant in one’s head now: plant something, grow something, do something amazing you have never done before; cheer in a new year as if it were offering you an opportunity to be your best self — for yourself and for others. The cost: time.

There we go again: time. It is the best gift we have to hold and to give. Try it. It doesn’t take money. All it takes is time. Pun intended.

Happy Holidays.