It's funny how technologically dependent we have become. When going to a Fourth of July celebration, instead of enjoying the outdoors and grilled foods, friends are enjoying a game on their phone. Take time to enjoy the time you have with your friends, you won't regret putting your phone down.

Beating a game is fantastic, even if took forever.  Electronic fireworks don't quite compare, but memories of previous July 4ths will elicit a warm fuzzy feeling.

One of the worst things in the world is to be a faker.  If you are not well-versed in a language or culture, please don't act like you do.  People are less likely to be impressed and more likely to be exasperated.

New Year's Eve is overrated, mostly when you're at home with old parents who go to sleep way before 11:00 pm. All you get to do is stay awake in a quiet house watching old movies.

The preparation of a new year is exactly what you make of it, just like everything else in life.

Great minds DO think alike. Mostly when it comes to presents. You may secretly wish for something, but don't want to ask for it and magically on Christmas day it appears as a special gift for you!!

Think it's too late to put up a Christmas tree? It's never too late to put up a Christmas tree. Even on Christmas Eve, it is still possible to decorate a beautiful tree. Christmas is just not the same without a tree!

Sometimes, having the pessimistic (which you may mistake as the realist) point-of-view pays off:  you end up having a great experience!  Expect little and gain a lot!

When a kid says that they know they're dad dresses up as Santa, you may feel a little sad that this kid no longer believes in Santa. And then: "The real Santa is at the mall!! He sometimes comes to the library too, but mostly to the mall." Hope is not lost, don't ever think for one moment that it is.

Going through a poorly lit neighborhood with a known cemetery in the same vicinity can be spooky considering the time of the year. Take a few friends for the ride and turn on the high beam!