End the Year with an Appreciation of Beauty

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There is one song that you should play as an ode to the merging of Hanukkah Man and Santa on the same day.

The song must be ethereal, trippy, and reverential - Jeff Buckley’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic. It's not so much a cover as it is a re-invention. It's the kind of ingenuity that made Jeff Buckley one of a kind.¹

With this as a shelter of sonic beauty, I wish all of you the greatest moments with loved ones.

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As you celebrate the holidays, remember the key psychological principles of joyous moments. There are three stages. Try to embrace each of them.

1. The enthusiastic anticipation - remind people of what’s coming soon and for yourself, let your mind imagine delights that await - conversation, food, physical proximity to those you care about, and well-meaning sarcasm and jabs.

2. The experiential component - the mindful fanatics are right in that it’s essential to be present, letting yourself be alive in whatever it is you do from “taking the piss out of someone” to hugging, complimenting, relishing, sharing, jostling, giggling, or chewing on those perfectly constructed hyperbolic paraboloid shaped Pringle chips.

3. The post-mortem - take mental photographs and replay events in the minutes, hours, and days after. This act of savoring is what plants gorgeous experiences into long-term memory - a reminder of positives that exist in your life on rainy days ahead.

Give it a try. It’s been over 20 years that I’ve kept a journal of the three most momentous moments each day. Find your own technique or steal mine.

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We will have great times together in 2025. Thanks for being a part of the growing Provoked community - where we believe curious, courageous exploration is less risky than complacency.

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Todd B. Kashdan is an author of several books including The Upside of Your Dark Side (Penguin) and The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively (Avery/Penguin) and Professor of Psychology and Leader of The Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.

Remember to Tell Me Which Books You Plan to Read:

1. For me, the only other voice that is as atmospheric as Buckley is Chris Cornell - here. But that’s a story for another day.