First of all, I wish everybody a merry Christmas. So, here we are, Christmas 2011! What is everybody doing?
I’m going to be really politically incorrect. Screw this “Happy Holidays” crap.

Let’s just face the facts: Today is Christmas day, and on Christmas you wish people a Merry Christmas. Most people aren’t really super religious anymore, so deal with it. It’s Christmas, it’s the day of gift-giving, it’s the day of massive disappointment on many kid’s faces because they didn’t get the presents they really wanted. It’s the day of putting on a fake face when your mother gets you that sweater you didn’t want.

Or your girlfriend or boyfriend gets you something you never really craved. It’s the agony on a child’s face when its grandparents come over and instead of a giant car or a big wheel, you get the itchy sweater that grandma knit and a check for $17.

It’s also the elation of being a child and not being able to fall asleep. We used to try to go to bed at 6:00pm on Christmas eve because we wanted Christmas day to come faster. We were up all night long staring at the tree wondering what was in there. I actually already knew, because I knew all the hiding places of the presents. Each year I would know every single present that was under the tree. I didn’t let my sister and brother know about it, I really did keep that a secret.

Christmas used to be amazing when we were kids. Now as adults, it’s lost all of the magic. We don’t get much of anything special because we already buy ourselves everything we want.

So what’s everybody doing this holiday season? How are you sharing this holiday season with others?

Today at Christmas I’m going to watch reruns of all my favorite Lassie episodes. There’s Lassie’s Christmas story, 1958. I’ll post it on the blog. There was some really unbelievable acting in the 50s, I’ve got to show you this.

Really, I have no idea what I’m going to do yet. But I know what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to open my presents and think about what presents I don’t like. I’m going to embrace all the presents that come in. As of now, Santa hasn’t paid me a visit yet.

But you never know if St. Nick will slide his ass down that chimney, and if he does, hopefully he won’t get stuck because my chimney has a pretty narrow shaft.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Do any of you know who said that line? If you do, you get to go to Tom’s house for Christmas. It’s not tiny Tom, it’s tiny who?

And for those of you who always wanted to be a Santa in a mall, check out this strange group of guys.

How do you think this Christmas party is any different compared to other parties?

They’re the exact same thing. You’ve got to go out, you’ve got to enjoy yourself, you’ve got to be social, you’ve got to meet people, you’ve got to talk to everybody, you’ve got to smile.
You’ve got to walk over to women right from the get-go and basically base your conversation on an observation you’ve made. It’s not any different. Christmas parties are exactly the same as other parties.

Somebody e-mailed me the other day and asked me, “How do you hook up at a Christmas party?” It’s no different guys, it really isn’t. It’s about using the same techniques that I’ve been teaching here ever since I started this blog.
You have to stop thinking that things are so different in different situations. It’s not different. It’s always your mind set that needs to change. You need to go to every single party the exact same way. You need to walk into that party, you need to talk to people, you need to relate to people and have fun, you need to show women you’re the kind of guy who knows how to have a good time.

Talk to men. Talk to women. And when you see someone you’re attracted to, walk over to them directly from the get-go based on an observation you’ve made, and just start talking. It’s not any different.

Sure, during Christmas time maybe you could wear a Santa cap. You could carry around a mistletoe. You could be cute like that, you could do all those things, or you could walk around with a stocking full of little gimmick gifts to give out at the party. But the bottom line is, it’s all about communication. And if you’re not great at it, you’d better learn, by clicking right here.

Alright, I’m guessing most of you are saying no.

But really, what if Santa Claus was real? I mean, what if Santa Claus was actually real?

What if you could go to the mall, sit on Santa’s lap — I’m sure there are some dirty old man Santas whose lap you would not want to sit on—but what if you could sit on Santa’s lap and actually ask for something to be delivered under your tree come Christmas?

Think about that for a minute. What would you ask for if you could get one amazing gift this Christmas? Would you ask for a better job? Would you ask for the world economy to be rescued? Would you ask for world peace, to end hunger and starvation in the world?

Are you a person who really wants to save the world or do you really just want to save yourself? Be honest.

Would you ask Santa for a hot girlfriend or a boyfriend? “Hey Santa, can you deliver something special under my tree? Somebody hot, somebody sexy, somebody who desires me and wants to hang with me every day?”

What would you ask for if Santa Claus was real, if you can actually go to the mall and actually wish for something on Santa’s lap?

So today let’s get into the Christmas spirit a little bit and let’s make out our Christmas wish list. I don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice. It’s not really a big deal since it’s just pretend anyway, and it’s fun to have a little conversation in a way that gets us all back to being six years old again and getting excited about what’s going to be waiting for us under the tree at Christmas time.

So what would be under your tree this year? And go ahead, be comprehensive in your lists. Make a list that’s 10 wishes long if you want. I’m looking forward to reading about all your wishes! Who knows, maybe Santa is real and maybe some of it might come true this holiday season ☺

In Los Angeles, December never feels “Christmas-like.” It is little bit chillier, but it really just feels like a different variation of October and November days. There are little pockets of the area that seem to realize it’s Christmas, but for the most part if you didn’t know the date you would never know it was Christmastime around here.

You just don’t have that “Christmas is coming” feeling around here. Remember when you were a child, how intense the anticipation of Christmas was? It was such an amazing feeling.

I remember there would be a Christmas play at school every year that you’d watch, and then you’d eat the Christmas cookies that someone always brought in.
You’d be in school, and you’d start to count down the number of days until Christmas vacation.

You’d know you were only days away from that ten day or two week winter vacation. Two weeks without school was like a year in kid time. Every day you could go out and play in the snow, watch cartoons, stay up late and drive your parents crazy.

I remember the anticipation of the gifts. I remember my parents going Christmas shopping. They wouldn’t actually tell us they were going Christmas, of course, but we knew.

The next day after school when my Mom was out and my Dad was still at work, my brother and sister and I would go on a Christmas present hunt. I would find where they hid all the presents to make sure that I was getting everything on my list.

I was amazing at finding the hiding place. It would usually take me 48 hours to find the hiding place, but I would always find it.

I would always find things that I didn’t want in the gifts. So of course, being the excellent communicator that I am (even back then), I would always say to my Mom the next day, “Hey Mom. I hope you didn’t get me (and I would list those things).” I would tell her all the reasons why those would be the wrong gifts for me.

Then, sure enough, none of those things would be under the tree on Christmas morning. Yes, my parents would actually go out and return those things I said I didn’t want.

The anticipation of Christmas was amazing. It was such a special time.

It was beautiful. Everything about it was beautiful.

As an adult, though, do you still have that feeling of anticipation around Christmas? Does it really make a difference?

We decorated our tree the other night. We got a “living tree” for the very first time (which means that you give it back to them after Christmas and they re-plant it). That way you don’t kill trees. I think it’s really a fantastic thing to do.

It was fun to decorate it. I hadn’t decorated a tree in a long time.

It just still didn’t feel like Christmas, though, at all. I don’t know if I’ve lost my Christmas spirit, or if age in general just makes you lose your Christmas spirit.

How do all of you feel about this? Do you have that same intense Christmas spirit as an adult that you had as a kid?

Do you still have that amazing feeling of anticipation? Are you still looking forward to putting on your pajamas with the feet and hoping that Santa will bring you something fantastic, or are you just an adult who has lost that childlike enthusiasm and excitement for this magical time of the year?

Maybe it’s time we all started believing in Santa a little bit more. Maybe we need to start dressing up as Santa for our significant others. Maybe we stop being so politically correct and start wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Maybe we should stop all the “Happy Holidays” and get back to the beauty and the magic of what the Christmas season really is all about.

So today, go out there and wish people a Merry Christmas. Put a Santa cap on and have some fun with it.

It’s the end of the year. Have some fun, be playful and find that childlike enthusiasm again for the magic of Christmas.

Maybe instead of going on a date where you stare at each other chewing food across a restaurant table, have a Christmas marathon. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Maybe you need to see Hermey the elf dentist take out Bumble the abominable snowman’s tooth to really get into the Christmas spirit.

Have this fun little marathon or do something that brings back the magic of the Christmas season. As adults, we deserve to feel that way again.

It really shows you to be a lazy ass. Plus, do you really care about everyone in your phone? C’mon!

Instead, wish the people you care about a very Merry Christmas. Don’t be lazy and wish everyone a Merry Christmas — there’s no meaning behind that.

I hate when I get those Merry Christmas mass texts. Really, you were thinking about me today? What were you thinking? You were thinking that you were being 2009 Cybercool? Gee, maybe I should send a mass text instead of picking up the phone and getting in touch with the people about whom I really care.

Christmas is a great time to reconnect and really put the past behind you. Is there anyone in your life right now with whom you wish things were better? Are you holding a grudge? Are you not talking to a brother (or a sister or an old friend or even your parents)?

This is a great day to pick up the phone and reconnect, and to put the past behind you. It’s all about picking up the phone today.

It’s not about sending out an email, a text or making a lame announcement on Facebook saying “Merry Christmas to everybody!” If you are thinking about doing one of these things, why don’t you write “Merry Christmas to everyone because I’m too damn lazy to pick up the phone and really get in touch with the people I care about!”

So I hope you have an incredible Christmas. I hope it’s a great day even when I rant and rave in this blog about mass texts at the same time that I’m sending out a mass blog.

When I get done writing this, though, I am getting on the phone and calling my Mom, my sister, my brother and a few of my closest friends, and I’m going to wish them the best best Christmas they can possibly have.

By the way, if you’re not celebrating Christmas, do what the New York Jews do/ We used to go as a family and see a movie on Christmas day. It’s fun, and it’s packed full of people who may not celebrate Christmas but still have the holiday spirit.

You know us Jewish people. We’ll take everyone’s holidays. We don’t get enough during the eight days of Hannukah. We want to take Christmas and Easter too. We’ll take ‘em all!

John took one of my bootcamp’s that I had in London several years ago and he had something that he needed my help on.

John, being in the Christmas spirit, also volunteered to share his email with all of you.

Today I am going to talk about why being alone is the most powerful and amazing growth time in your life.

For those of you who have ended a relationship this year, today’s podcast will really hit home for you.

For the rest of you, listen and embrace the power of you.

One last thing. Today’s podcast has a very special announcement that will shock all of you!

Click Here To Download Today’s Podcast!

Anyway, as I’ve been looking at cars I’ve gone a few times to the Audi dealership. The other day when I was there talking to a salesman, Christmas music started playing in the background. I looked at him and said, “It really is Christmas.”

Ever since I moved to California, I just never feel the Christmas spirit. I’m from New York City, and in New York City there is a ton of Christmas spirit. Everywhere you go there is a “Sidewalk Santa” next to a Salvation Army kettle, Christmas music, Christmas decorations and just an incredible feeling of Christmas in the air.

In Los Angeles, December never feels “Christmas-like.” It is little bit chillier, but it really just feels like a different variation of October and November days. There are little pockets of the area that seem to realize it’s Christmas, but for the most part if you didn’t know the date you would never know it was Christmastime around here.

You just don’t have that “Christmas is coming” feeling around here. Remember when you were a child, how intense the anticipation of Christmas was? It was such an amazing feeling.

I remember there would be a Christmas play at school every year that you’d watch, and then you’d eat the Christmas cookies that someone always brought in.
You’d be in school, and you’d start to count down the number of days until Christmas vacation.

You’d know you were only days away from that ten day or two week winter vacation. Two weeks without school was like a year in kid time. Every day you could go out and play in the snow, watch cartoons, stay up late and drive your parents crazy.

I remember the anticipation of the gifts. I remember my parents going Christmas shopping. They wouldn’t actually tell us they were going Christmas, of course, but we knew.

The next day after school when my Mom was out and my Dad was still at work, my brother and sister and I would go on a Christmas present hunt. I would find where they hid all the presents to make sure that I was getting everything on my list.

I was amazing at finding the hiding place. It would usually take me 48 hours to find the hiding place, but I would always find it.

I would always find things that I didn’t want in the gifts. So of course, being the excellent communicator that I am (even back then), I would always say to my Mom the next day, “Hey Mom. I hope you didn’t get me (and I would list those things).” I would tell her all the reasons why those would be the wrong gifts for me.

Then, sure enough, none of those things would be under the tree on Christmas morning. Yes, my parents would actually go out and return those things I said I didn’t want.

The anticipation of Christmas was amazing. It was such a special time.

It was beautiful. Everything about it was beautiful.

As an adult, though, do you still have that feeling of anticipation around Christmas? Does it really make a difference?

We decorated our tree the other night. We got a “living tree” for the very first time (which means that you give it back to them after Christmas and they re-plant it). That way you don’t kill trees. I think it’s really a fantastic thing to do.

It was fun to decorate it. I hadn’t decorated a tree in a long time.

It just still didn’t feel like Christmas, though, at all. I don’t know if I’ve lost my Christmas spirit, or if age in general just makes you lose your Christmas spirit.

How do all of you feel about this? Do you have that same intense Christmas spirit as an adult that you had as a kid?

Do you still have that amazing feeling of anticipation? Are you still looking forward to putting on your pajamas with the feet and hoping that Santa will bring you something fantastic, or are you just an adult who has lost that childlike enthusiasm and excitement for this magical time of the year?

Maybe it’s time we all started believing in Santa a little bit more. Maybe we need to start dressing up as Santa for our significant others. Maybe we stop being so politically correct and start wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Maybe we should stop all the “Happy Holidays” and get back to the beauty and the magic of what the Christmas season really is all about.

So today, go out there and wish people a Merry Christmas. Put a Santa cap on and have some fun with it.

It’s the end of the year. Have some fun, be playful and find that childlike enthusiasm again for the magic of Christmas.

Maybe instead of going on a date where you stare at each other chewing food across a restaurant table, have a Christmas marathon. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Maybe you need to see Hermey the elf dentist take out Bumble the abominable snowman’s tooth to really get into the Christmas spirit.

Have this fun little marathon or do something that brings back the magic of the Christmas season. As adults, we deserve to feel that way again.

If all of these little clips did not get you into the holiday spirit and put a huge smile on your face, then you really are the Grinch that stole Christmas.

You find yourself really starting to forecast what’s going to happen in this not-yet-a-relationship situation. You think about how you are going to take them home for Christmas and what a blast the party you’re going to go to with them on Halloween is going to be. You think about how great it will be to have someone to go sailing with on your birthday this year.

Do you find yourself always falling too quickly for people before you even get to know them? Do you find yourself saying things to someone you’ve just met about what the two of you should do together two or three weeks from now? You are out on your first date with someone and all you do is talk about the future with them.

Do you know why you’re doing that future planning on a first or second date? It’s because you are needy, you hate being single and you don’t have an abundance mentality.

What happens is the minute you get somebody to say yes to a date with you, all you think about is being rescued form this horrible experience you’ve been having called being alone or being single. So what you do is to immediately start forecasting, because it makes you feel better that you might have a relationship that is going to work after it’s been so hard for you to meet someone.

Because it’s been so hard for you to meet someone, now that you have you don’t want to blow it. So you try really hard not to blow it, and end up putting a lot of pressure on it which makes you come across as being very needy.

When you’re out on a first date with somebody and you’re talking about all the things you want to do with them in the future, you look desperate and needy. That will turn them off. It scares them.

All someone wants to do on a first date is learn more about you. They want to learn what is special about you. They want to learn about what makes you tick.

They don’t want to think about what might happen three weeks from now. On a first date, they are not in the planning stage of a relationship. The truth is that you’re not even close to the planning stage of a relationship yet.

You can consider yourself in the planning stage of a relationship when you’re sleeping with them, when you you’re both committed to each other and when you’re enjoying each other’s company on a regular basis. That is when you know there is a relationship.

If you bring this stuff up from the beginning — and especially on a first date — you’re going to look desperate and needy. That is what makes these things not work out. So many people self-destruct potentially good relationships before they even have a chance to happen.

So the next time you’re with somebody on a first and second date, stop your desperate energy. Stop being so needy, and just enjoy them for the moment. You’ll get the end result that you’ve always desired if you stop thinking about the end result and stop looking for confirmation.

Don’t look for confirmation. If you talk on a first date about what you want to be doing with them three weeks from now, you might as well look them in the eyes and say, “I’m so needy and desperate. Do you like me? Do you like me? Do you like me?” That is what you’re communicating to them when you do that. That is why they’re not calling you again, and why you’re having a lot of “one and done” dates with people.

What did we call the the last decade? The 00s (the ‘zeros’)? The greedy 00s? The bank failure 00s? I mean what are we going to call this era (as it is about to end)? In today’s podcast, I am going to share my thoughts on the past year and the year to come.

I am also going to talk about how to unwind all the tension that the holidays cause. I mean, anyone whose parents drove them crazy over the holidays, please raise your hand.

How many of you had parental craziness during Christmas time? During family gatherings, how many of you felt evaluated and judged about where you are at in your life?

How many of you are looking forward to tomorrow night (New Year’s Eve) with bated breath, believing it will be the best night of the year for you?

In this podcast, I will be giving you some of my thoughts on all of these things. I will also be giving you a sneak peek into what I’ll be bringing you in 2010. I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to listen now:

Invest in yourself and take the steps necessary to make 2010 the year you truly want it to be — and the year your dating and personal life stop being what you don’t want them to be. Check out my Men’s Mastery Series and Women’s Mastery Series programs now.

Yesterday, however, I received the best Christmas gift of all. The Colts decided to sit Peyton Manning in the middle of the game, allowing the Jets a defeat against a third string quarterback.

It also gave the Jets an 8-7 record, putting them in charge of their playoff destiny. Next week I hope Marvin Lewis decides to sit his best players too so that the Jets can win again. It’s the Marty Schottenheimer style of coaching – get into the playoffs and lose.

My Christmas break was great. I was in New Orleans looking for a place to get married. I saw some really cool venues. If any of you know a great band or a great photographer down there, let me know. Or, if any of you are a professional photographer, let me know and perhaps we can work something out.

Over the holiday, Yahoo! published an article of mine and put it on its homepage. I really love when Yahoo! publishes my articles. It’s great. It gives me massive amounts of feedback in about a six hour time period.

It also, however, makes me realize something very sad. It makes me realize that there are a lot of people out there who hide behind their laptop and criticize people all day long.

Whenever I look at comments on any article which appears on Yahoo!, I’d say at least 50% of them are full of anger. It doesn’t matter about what each person is writing, people will find fault with it.

They are the blamers in life. They are always blaming other people for their misfortunes.

They are also very negative people. They are always looking for the opportunity to say, “Aha! I told you this wouldn’t work!”

These people often say things like this because they don’t realize they are the cause all the negative things in their own life. They are responsible for every decision they make, every mistake they make and every relationship they’ve had.

They are 100% responsible for these things. Instead of confronting themselves and taking responsibility, they hide in forums, chatrooms and message boards and blame others. Instead of going out and working on themselves, which they should do every day, they spend hours and days online blaming everyone else.

The Internet is wonderful. You can reach the masses by pressing a few buttons., but too often you realize that a lot of the members of the masses are very angry.

Sometimes I read comments about technology items — items that work perfectly fine — and yet people will find eight things wrong with them and spend their time and energy spewing their anger on a message board about them. Why?

Why waste so much time on anger? If you’re angry, it is your own fault. Take responsibility for your anger.

I have a friend who constantly bounces checks and is somewhat of a financial mess. He is always blaming Bank of America for his problems.

The bank is against him he believes. Really? Bank of America, which probably has about ten million accounts, is against him?

If you bounce checks, it is your fault. It means you don’t know how to handle your finances. It’s not that my friend doesn’t make money. He makes money and he is still a financial mess.

I can understand if someone is buying food for their family, and they bounce a check because they need food to survive. This person, however, actually makes a good living and he still blames the bank for his problems.

As we close out 2009 and head into the 10′s, isn’t it time you stopped criticizing or harping on things and started taking responsibility for yourself? You are 100% responsible for your life. That is what being an adult is all about.

For my young readers who still live at home with their parents (and maybe battle their parents on a daily basis), one day you will be 100% responsible for your life. You can start right to prepare yourself for that by seeing every decision you make as a lesson being taught to you.

I remember the first time a friend of mine got drunk and threw up. He blamed everyone, saying they forced him to drink.

We use the term “peer pressure” when we’re young. In reality, though, you are the one in the end who has to make the decision.

When you’re young, it’s harder to make an independent decision because you want to be cool and go with the flow. When you’re older, however, you just have to make up your own mind about yourself and make your own decisions.

So spend the next few days thinking about how you blame others for what has happened and how things are in your life. Start writing it all down. Write “I blame so-and-so for this” and “I blame such-and-such for that.”

Then I want you to amend all those and substitute yourself in those sentences. At the end write, “I am fully responsible for everything that happens in my life due to my choices.”

Have a great Monday!