Good chilly morning from the WNZR studios! Since Christmas was two days ago, it’s possible that you may be feeling a little upset, you might have the ‘Post-Holiday Blues’ So today on the Morning Thing, we shared eight ways to beat these Blues!

Below is a little recap of the eight tips and tricks for beating these ‘Post Holiday Blues’, and if you would like to read the whole article, click here!

1. Expect some letdown.
The holiday season is both joyful and stressful at once. Returning to the usual routine and probably quieter workplace than normal can dampen your spirits just by the absence of exciting things to do and look forward to.

2. Choose to see the benefits of post-holiday time.
The good side to the end of the holidays is that you’ve had a chance to rest, to relax, and to enjoy yourself. The craziness prior to Christmas has ended both at the workplace and in the home, and the restful time after Christmas and New Year’s Eve has hopefully given you the opportunity to do things that are different from your usual routine.

3. Be gentle on yourself with respect to your New Year’s Resolutions.
If you set the bar too high and you already feel as if you’re slipping, don’t berate yourself. Instead, look at your resolutions realistically and assess whether they need some tweaking to ensure that they’re achievable.

4. Continue spending time around people.
Lift your spirits by continuing to stay connected with friends and family, and getting out and about to do activities where other people interact with you.

5. Do things that give you cause to look forward to something.
Revive the excitement of anticipation by arranging fun activities, such as having dinner with friends, starting a new class for a hobby or interest, attending a sporting event regularly, going to the movies, etc.

6. Make healthy choices.
After the many indulgences over the holiday period, it can leave you feeling a little out of shape and worse for wear in the nutrition department. Aim to return to eating healthy food, drinking healthy drinks, and ensuring that you keep getting exercise.

7. Make this a time for getting professional help and turning around things that have been bothering you.
Once this busyness dies down, you’re returned to thinking about your general life issues and this might just be a good time to get help from the professionals, be it for anything from sorting out your finances, redecorating your home, or dealing with the unhappy feelings you’re experiencing.

8. Expect to enjoy the year ahead.
Think ahead to the changing seasons and the sorts of things you’d like to be doing as the year moves on, and the sorts of activities and events you’d like to be a part of. Doing something about the things you’d like to happen is the first step and once you’re immersed in planning and doing, you’ll be too busy to fret.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

Eddie and Lilly are holding down the fort the week for The Morning Thing, and today they are recapping Christmas.  Alongside spending time with family, we also talked about things you can do post-Christmas to help you get ready for the New Year.  This list included Rest, Reflect, Rejoice, Relish, and Ready.  If you would like to look into this article from Crosswalk that further explains the 5 R’s, click HERE.

We also shared that the Festival of Trees, and event where clubs and organizations of Apple Valley decorate Christmas Trees and the public is invite to vote one these trees is still happening through the 31st of December.  It costs either a dollar or one food item for a ticket to vote, and all proceeds go toward Food For The Hungry.  Times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 2-8 PM, Friday 2-9 PM, Saturday 9 AM – 9 PM, and Sunday Noon to 8PM.

We continued our week for a great plan for Christmas with what to tune out of and what to tune into. Click HERE for the full article. We also talked about the gift of perspective.

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Luke 12:22-23

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 1 Corinthians 1:7

This week we’re talking about how to create a great plan for Christmas. Every day this week, we’ll be sharing tips and advice on how to make this a great Christmas. Today, we talked about how to beat holiday stress. Have realistic expectations and set priorities. It’s important to remember that the real reason for the season is Jesus and time spent with family. We talked about the importance of remembering that we don’t live in a Hallmark movie or a Pinterest board. Click HERE for the full article.

For this week’s fav 5 The Morning Thing shared their favorite Christmas gift they have ever given! Hopefully we can inspire you this Christmas!

Marcy Rinehart

Daria Swisher

Trevor Moore

Eddie Dilts

Jenna Potts 

We had the chance to talk with Kandee Popham, co-founder of Place 4 Grace in Knox County. Kandee talks about her passion for Place 4 Grace and how the ministry came about.

Plus, Kandee unveils an exciting announcement that you won’t want to miss! She updates us on the ministry and how God is working through her, the volunteers, and donors of the ministry.

Listen to our full conversation, HERE!

For more information about Place 4 Grace and to get involved in the ministry, click HERE!

The 36^th annual Knox County Food For The Hungry drive has succeeded again thanks to you, with a record money total standing at just over $313,691 and 21 truckloads of food.

Community members came together for the 36^th year to support food assistance projects and provide emergency client services through Interchurch Social Services and the Salvation Army. Volunteers staffed 25 different collection points Saturday to collect food and money, while local media combined to produce an eight-hour live broadcast on radio and the internet.

We had the chance to talk with the volunteers from the broadcast and find out what the day meant to them. Listen in to hear more about Food for the Hungry and its impact on the staff and volunteers who were involved, HERE!

Food For The Hungry awarded 14 grants to county projects involving food assistance. Grants of $2,000 went to the Church on the Rise food pantry; Father’s Table at Mount Vernon First Naz; TouchPointe Marriage and Family Resources; the Byron Saunders Foundation; CHOMP ministries; and Covenant Church Food Pantry. $1,500 grants were awarded to Fredericktown United Methodist Peace Meals, Feed the Vern, and ACTS Food Pantry. $1,000 went to LifePoint’s Backpacks of Hope; the Gay Street United Methodist Hot Meals; Free Community Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners; Centerburg Church of God; and the Winter Sanctuary Homeless Shelter.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University presented the Stephen Zelkowitz Memorial Award to Roy and the late Glenda Waldron, for their many years of bringing joy to kids as Bubbles and Banjo the clowns. Kenyon College presented the exciting results of this year’s Snowflake Gala, which raised a record $147,000.

One event continues through December 31st with the Festival of Trees at the Floral Valley Community Center in Apple Valley. You can stay updated at foodforthehungrycares.org.

The video archive of Saturday’s broadcast is also available at MVNU.tv in the on-demand tab.

To watch out our Wrap of Video highlighting the 8 hour broadcast from this past weekend, click HERE!

Today on the Morning Thing, we talked with executive director of Interchurch Social Services of Knox County, Joy Harris. Joy talked about the need in Knox County and how Food for the Hungry helps them serve the community. She also shared a touching story of giving that should impact us all. Click HERE to listen to the full conversation!

For the Morning Thing Fave Five, Marcy shared her favorite parts of Food for the Hungry. Click HERE to check it out!

Food for the Hungry is Saturday, December 9th. To find out how you can help, go to FoodfortheHungryCares.org.

Today we got a chance to talk with GMA Dove Award-winning and platinum-selling artist Mark Schultz!  If you would like to listen in to our conversation, click HERE!

Mark Schultz and husband-and-wife duo Love & the Outcome will perform on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., in the R.R. Hodges Chapel Auditorium on the MVNU campus.

The annual holiday tour is in its third year and gets its name from Schultz’s no. 1 holiday-themed radio single, “Different Kind of Christmas.” The single went viral in December 2014, and its accompanying video has since been viewed more than 24 million times on Facebook and shared over 900,000 times. The song was inspired by the life of Schultz’s father-in-law and was penned shortly after his passing.

Presale general admission (which ends Friday) tickets are $20 and $25 at the door; general admission for groups of 10 or more are $15. Tickets are on sale now at mvnu.edu/events/christmas.