Vol. 31, No. 6, 7. From the President.

• Author: Author: Rick Lavery

Wyoming Bar Journal

2008.

Vol. 31, No. 6, 7.

From the President

Wyoming Bar Journal Issue: December, 2008 Author: Rick Lavery From the President . . .

The holiday season is in full swing! Don't you just love the holidays? That short, frenetic and crazy time that starts with Thanksgiving, reaches full crescendo on Christmas, Eid or during Hanukkah, and ends on New Year's Day. Unfortunately for many Americans, this ends up being the most stressful time of year. I loved the holidays when I was a kid. Sometime after Thanksgiving, the Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward toy catalogs would arrive and the fun would begin. The hunt was on for that toy that only Santa could bring. Turning the pages day after day, fighting with my siblings for catalog supremacy--enjoying the anticipation of gifts to be received and given almost as much as the actual gifts themselves. Who would have thought the holidays were stressful? My parents never let on. My teachers never let on. They did their level best to make the holidays a smashing success. I was lucky; I can't remember any bad Christmases. There were five kids in my family and I'm sure my parents were stretched thin by the many demands of the season, both physically and financially. My teachers dealt with classrooms of kids that could barely sit still with such anticipation, and I'm sure they were plenty stressed too. I think about the holiday traditions of my childhood, and I hope that I have been able to give the similar happy memories to my kids. I hope that they didn't see the blood, sweat and tears behind the production. Their time will come.

The work of judges, lawyers and court personnel during the holidays is exacerbated by the stress that permeates our holiday culture. Unrealistic expectations followed by almost inevitable disappointments means an increase in divorces and family violence, more juvenile problems, more involuntary hospitalizations and more crime. For the transactional lawyer, there are all those last-minute, year-end, tax and business planning projects. It is a time of year when legal emergencies are a daily occurrence.

Over the years, I've found that the best way to get beyond the holiday stress is to sit back and take stock. Consider the blessings - all the good things that make us thankful. So instead of getting in line to see Santa, here are a few things...