Thanksgiving
is
in
the
rearview,
and
the
December
holidays
are
upon
us. Consider
this
your
holiday
lawyer’s
guide. In
no
particular
order,
a
few
thoughts
and
some
advice.
Gift
Giving.
Your
staff
works
hard. Don’t
rely
solely
on
your
firm
to
provide
holiday
gifts. Get
your
legal
assistant
and
paralegal
a
gift
to
show
you
appreciate
them.
Beyond
your
staff,
give
gifts
to
anyone
else
who
has
made
your
job
easier
this
year.
Holiday
Cards.
If
your
firm
still
provides
its
lawyers
with
holiday
cards,
secure
some
and
send
them
out.
If
not,
purchase
a
box
or
two
of
holiday
cards
and
send
them
to
colleagues
and
friends. And
please,
no
e-cards.
Handwritten
Notes.
It’s
a
great
time
of
year
to
mail
handwritten
notes
to
others.
Guard
Your
Calendar.
It’s
easy
to
get
buried
in
holiday
commitments
—
office
parties,
bar
association
events,
happy
hours
—
go
to
what
you
want
and
need
to
go
to,
and
do
not
overcommit.
Respect
Others’
Calendars.
If
you
do
litigation
as
I
do,
many
folks
are
out
of
pocket
from
mid-December
through
the
end
of
the
year.
Understand
and
respect
this.
Holiday
Blues.
You
may
love
the
holidays. Some
suffer
through
them. Appreciate
others’
perspectives
and
feelings
toward
the
holidays
and
respect
them.
Your
Waistline.
It’s
easy
to
overindulge
over
the
holidays
and
think
you’ll
lose
weight
as
part
of
your
New
Year’s
resolutions.
It
never
quite
works
that
way.
The
more
holiday
events
you
attend,
the
more
cognizant
you
should
be
about
that
second
serving
of
dessert.
Make
Time.
The
holidays
are
supposed
to
be
about
friends
and
family. Make
time
for
them
and
for
yourself.
Plan.
December
is
a
great
time
to
plan
for
the
following
year. Devise
a
plan
for
2026
so
you
can
hit
the
ground
running
come
January.
Treat
Yourself.
No
one
knows
better
than
you
what
you
want
for
the
holidays.
Buy
yourself
a
gift
for
making
it
through
another
year
of
practice.
Prepare
A
Budget.
Create
a
budget
for
yourself
for
the
coming
year. Many
firms
ask
their
lawyers
to
prepare
a
marketing
budget.
Online
Shopping.
Unless
you
like
the
malls,
you
can
do
your
holiday
shopping
online
and
save
time
for
your
other
interests
and
obligations.
Donate.
During
the
holidays,
lots
of
folks
don’t
have
enough
to
buy
their
kids
gifts
or
put
food
on
the
table. Donate
food,
toys,
etc.
Traditions.
The
holidays
are
imbued
with
traditions. Lean
into
them
or
create
your
own.
Lower
Expectations.
Don’t
let
culture,
media,
or
social
media
define
what
the
holidays
should
be. It
can
be
simple,
low-key,
and
different. Lower
expectations
of
what
holidays
should
be,
and
let
them
just
be.
The
holidays
should
be
fun,
invigorating,
and
life-affirming. So
often
we
let
the
stress
and
demands
of
the
holidays
make
them
unenjoyable. Let’s
focus
on
what
matters,
and
let’s
focus
on
the
true
meaning
of
the
holidays.
Frank
Ramos
is
a
partner
at
Goldberg
Segalla
in
Miami,
where
he
practices
commercial
litigation,
products,
and
catastrophic
personal
injury. You
can
follow
him
on LinkedIn,
where
he
has
about
80,000
followers.