2013 has been an amazing year filled with lots of firsts, especially in terms of getting married and sharing my life with my wife Ashley. As both she and I approached the holiday season, we knew it was going to be very different from our past celebrations because we were going to spend them with both sides of our families– and do so in a small window of time.
Like I mentioned before, we spent Thanksgiving up in Tahoe with Ashley’s family, but Christmas was an entirely different story. We made it a point to see everyone since both sides of our families truly value and take pride in celebrating with one another on Christmas. Plus, we wanted to see both sides of our families and share in the magic of Christmas with them.
So, we split up our holidays between L.A. and Lake Arrowhead (L.A. with Ashley’s family, Lake Arrowhead with mine). There were definitely points during the trips that Ashley and I felt overwhelmed. We left L.A. on Christmas Eve only to arrive at Lake Arrowhead around midnight. Running off of 5 hours of sleep, we were awoken to my four nephews jumping for joy that Santa came to visit, and that’s when the exhaustion of traveling and the stress of making sure everything went perfectly on our trip subsided. This is what it is all about – sharing the excitement of Christmas with one another, regardless of where we are or what we have to do to come together.
Seeing my nephews faces light up when they saw the entire living room piled with gifts was one of the many events of the holidays that grounded me again and made me feel grateful for what I have. I felt the same way after stepping off the truck at the Santa Letter’s parade right before Ashley and I’s Christmas vacation started. Giving back to those kids made me realize how fortunate I am, and how grateful I am for the little things in life. It was these moments that made any and all holiday stress seem so insignificant, and prompted me to snap back into reality. We are so lucky, and taking the time to reflect on that regularly is what kept me going through this holiday season!
Author
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Paul Alexander is the CEO, President & Founder of Northbound Treatment Network in Newport Beach, California. He believes wholeheartedly in transformational leadership, organizational health and effective, fully integrated substance use disorder and mental health treatment. With over 27 years of experience in behavioral healthcare, Paul has extensive knowledge of “in vivo” treatment modalities, clinical development, operations, strategy, marketing and financial planning. He has been widely recognized for his development of collegiate-based residential treatment programs for students in recovery and authored a research study at The University of California confirming this modality’s effectiveness.
Paul’s comprehensive professional experience, willingness to innovate, and emphasis on organizational health are vital factors in Northbound’s continued success. Paul received his Certified Addiction Treatment Specialist training at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA, and was awarded Outstanding Alumni Service Award in 2002. Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Law and Society, Summa Cum Laude, from University of California, Irvine, and a Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles. Paul currently serves on The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) board. In addition, he serves on The Family Recovery Foundation board and The CarePossible board in Orange County; both organizations are committed to raising funds for family recovery and treatment for former military personnel. Paul is in recovery himself and lives in Orange County with his wife Silvana and his two young sons, Noah and Dean.
