While we have gone green for everything from grocery bags to huge buildings, why make Valentine’s Day an exception? The tradition of Valentine’s Day is red but get a little bit of the trend too by going green.

Millions celebrate this day with their loved ones by exchanging gifts, sending chocolates and flowers. But what they don’t notice is that, how much Mother Earth gets affected because of this seemingly harmless tradition.

Travelling solo is probably one of the most daring things that one can attempt in their life. Essentially, travelling solo is touring of an alien and far-off land, the cultures, traditions and language of which you are not fully or comprehensively aware of. When a person travels alone without any companions from the beginning of his/her journey, the task of controlling oneself through bouts of bewilderment and alienation in an unknown country can be daunting. Nevertheless, the trend in travelling magazines and travelogues seems to be supporting the notion that solo travel is indeed the route to self discovery and  an adventure that beings you close to understand what you are made of.

We all need reasons to celebrate our triumphs and for our loved ones to commiserate with us over our sorrows and the New Years is no better time then to do just that.  This is an occasion where we follow our heart and free our body, mind and soul from the stresses of the world and find peace in the fact that we have friends to toast with, sharing epic moments of joy and love.  New Years Eve merriments are exciting because we know that the year is done and that after we have a good timeafter ending of a long year,we wake in the morning to a dawn with new possibilities.

The traditional greeting this time of year wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. It’s a wonderful thought that conjures up images of much fun and laughter with one’s family. But I wondered if that was the original intent behind this greeting. On doing my research I realized that Christmas is actually a translation of the Old English ‘Cristes Maesse’ meaning the mass of Christ, in those times merry meant peaceful or blessed thus it was a wish for a blessed or peaceful mass of Christ.

Cultural identity is what we are all striving for as a people. Families, schools, businesses and even countries get confused about what really is important in the grand scheme of things. Sorrow and boredom can plague everyone at times due to the tremendous workloads that exists in today’s crazy world. It is imperative that we hold onto creative outlets where we can philosophize and communicate with others about more important things than a job or mundane politics.

Communities that understand psychology realize that creating festivals for people provide them with “breaks” from the monotony of their everyday lives. Festivals, put on by the community, bring culture holders together and provide moments that last forever marking pivotal days in history. These people that celebrate are those that yearn for a good disposition and who want to share love and camaraderie with their fellow man. They come to these events without all of their emotional baggage, eager to “let their hair down” and truly appreciate some festivities.

It’s that time of the year, when pretty much everything stops; recruiting is no different. The impending Christmas and New Year make sure the festive mood seeps in everywhere and impacts productivity.

Organizations play with the mood and shut down hiring for the month for most positions until after New Year’s. It’s a great time to go back to the drawing board and start analyzing budgets and needs. It’s no secret that most recruiting/HR personnel along with hiring managers are on vacations ushering in the New Year. Pre-screening candidates or early rounds of the hiring process become extremely slow or non-existent.

Holidays remain a stronghold for modern society providing warmth and a reckoning to be gracious to our faith, culture and beliefs. Love revolves around these days of celebration signifying that we should all stand together united. It’s hard to dictate today what should take precedent over the other, but holidays are always a time for someone to find an inner-glow that shines in spite of stress (family turmoil, financial troubles etc.).