Serbia has an interesting Christmas tradition. It is said that what you do on Christmas determines how you’ll spend your year. So on that day, you do many different things for a short period of time and you are intentional about which things. My wife is Serbian so this tradition is part of our family’s celebration. And note, that because Serbia is on the Orthodox calendar, this is a separate day from 12/25, the Protestant and Cathothlic Christmas. Strangely, I now look forward to Orthodox Christmas more than the Christmas of my youth. It has even changed the way I think about my non-Christmas days. What makes it so wonderful is the focus on experiences, not outcomes. The other is that I do a little of everything. It connects me, in a single day, to the variety of experiences that make me feel whole. 

Check out other work in the Personal Ethic series here.