It's again that point of time when people get together, make merry, host and attend parties, invest a lot of time in planning, make several short-term and long-term resolutions, et al. However, most people make several promises only to leave them in the lurch later on. The most popular reasons cited –failure to devise the perfect plan to achieve their set goals, lost interest in the first week of the year, itself.

In life, it is important to make rewarding decisions, and New Year's Eve can be the perfect time to put them into action. Undoubtedly, the beginning of a year gives us the chance to see life in a completely new perspective, providing the motivation we all seek to move ahead.

We, at Best Brains, believe in helping you achieve your true potential, and this belief does not hold good only for your kids, we’d extend it to your families too, because we are convinced that a healthy family raises a healthy and accomplished child. Therefore, we attempt to go an extra mile and give you a few ideas for the various New Year resolutions. These will go a long way in keeping you in the best shape of your life. However, before we lead you there, we'd traditionally offer a few interesting anecdotes about this entire concept.

History has witnessed various ancient civilizations that practiced this ritual of making resolutions for the upcoming year. For instance, the Babylonians made promises to their Gods at the start of each calendar year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, after whom the month January is named. Interestingly, knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry during the medieval period.

Well, that is for history; we come back to our sci-fi inspired 21st century, as we are all set to give out some viable choices for your New Year Resolutions.

• Quit your Vices
• It is a given thing that as adults, we face a whole lot of stress. Therefore, we seek respite in alcohol, drugs and cigarettes to alleviate our pain. However, most people forget that children always look up to their parents. Such vices put the foundation for your child’s toxic future. Make a strong resolution that aids you to get rid of your guilty pleasures. It’s tough, but no addiction must violate the interest of our child. So say goodbye to them all.

What can be done: Join a detox class, seek solace in prayers and social activities, take up anti-depressants on doctor’s prescription, and be physically active.

• Make Healthiness your Second Nature

More often than not, we find ourselves signing up for gym memberships and fitness classes only to waste the hard-earned money for something that is just not utilized. We must aim to improve our health levels by having regular exercises, balanced meals, and by leading a little more stress-free life. Take an oath to be healthy, and that will hit the right chord with our child for the rest of his/her life.

What can be done: Try to incorporate organic fare in every meal, practice some kind of physical activity for at least three hours per week, encourage kids to embrace outdoor sports, make peace with life’s problems and invest energies in solving them with patience and cogency.

• Sign up for Mental Peace

In an age where depression and mental diseases are as common as anything else, we cannot debate the importance of mental peace and well-being. It’s of undeniable significance to set aside a few hours to practice exercises that bolster our peace of mind. Having peace with your inner being helps to better serve our loved ones.

What can be done: Enroll in a Yoga or meditation class to ease stress. Additionally, you may spend some time in solitude or devote few minutes for prayers. Things as simple as dancing or listening to music can prove to be beneficial, as well.

• Take up a New Skill

There is no age for learning - we all know. Unfortunately, not many pupils really practice it. Picking up a new skill opens several new doors of prosperity. As a skilled person, you stand the chance of being more qualified for a certain job profile, or, at least, you will turn a more learned individual; both of these inspire and help your children to improve themselves. After all, parents are the best role-models for their kids.

What can be done: Join a dance or ballet class, take part in any long-neglected hobby, or start something that can add weight to your resume.

• Invest in Long-term plans

It’s pivotal that we take an active part in planning the resources for our children. Of course, it is good to have children work hard and grow up to manage themselves. Nevertheless, it is a great idea to have some good investments made for them to help them move ahead in life without any financial glitches.

• What can be done: Open some fixed accounts for short intervals; alternatively, long lasting fixed accounts can also be a viable option for those with younger kids. Mutual funds, property purchases or market shares can be fruitful too; but make sure to be very careful while investing.
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• Join a Social Cause

God has given us a great life, at least, better than that of several others around the world. We must acknowledge it, and take an oath to give a part of our earnings to fulfill God’s greater motive of serving humanity. In case, you cannot contribute monetarily, then invest your time! Devoting a few hours per week can make a sea of change in the lives of the lesser-fortunate sections of the society. ?

What can be done: Become a part of an NGO, start a social campaign, raise relief money for the poor and the needy, encourage equalitarianism of both genders. You can stand up for anything you believe in; thus inspiring the younger ones to raise their voices and fight for a change!

• Pledge to Spend More Time with your Loved ones

Life is a rolling ball, quite practically. It is the best example of the concept of inertia where it goes on without a stop, unless and until we make a conscious decision to alter it.

Allotting a little more time to our friends and family can improve our over-whole health and goodness. Also, it aids to mitigate stress levels, promote happiness and live a more enriching and most of all – worth living life!

We, at Best Brains, wish you Success of the Highest Order!

Voila! So, you’ve nicely enjoyed the Christmas pie, the reindeer sled sightings, the snowman, the ostentatious Christmas tree decorations, the gifts you always wanted from Santa Clause, the carols, and Church visits. Whoohoo... Seems like you’d a great Christmas celebration! Fabulous! But wait, is Christmas the end of all the great fun and frolic that surrounds this festive season? Umm... I guess, you know it’s not! Right? That’s awesome! You guys are really picking up things very fast. Kudos, sweets! Yes, we’re awaiting the magnum opus (don’t know the word? Get your dictionary right away. It will help you in being smarter, trust me) celebration of the New Year.

The New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to start new things with a promise of working hard, being kind and helpful, and by seeking God’s blessings. Therefore, this is the occasion when people make New Year resolutions and decide what they need to do to achieve their goals with a sense of positivity. The New Year celebration is carried out with loads of pomp and opulent feastings. Today, January 1 is globally considered as the most popular date for the New Year’s beginning. Surprisingly, this concept of celebrating New Year on this particular date is pretty new. 

As you know, it’s a tradition at Best Brains to give you great information about the birth and evolution of every subject we talk about. Therefore, we will follow it up with this one as well. Now, my dear friends, stuff your pockets with chocolates (not many, remember you might acquire cavities in teeth?), cookies, nuts and all that yummy things you like and read further, as you enjoy learning about new things about the upcoming New Year! 

Early civilizations celebrated New Year on different dates. For example, the Babylonians (people of the ancient city Babylon of Mesopotamia, now in Iraq) were the earliest to commemorate (again, check your dictionary for its meaning) the festivities for the arrival of the New Year. Their celebrations dated back to about 4,000 years! Therefore, the tradition of New Year is very old, but celebrating it precisely on 1st Jan is very new. That is the difference. Okay, so continuing, Babylonians marked their New Year somewhere between the mid of March. This was the harvest time for the people of Babylon and they followed it up with the festival Atiku, which lasted for 11 days, marking the defeat of the evil Sea God Tiamat by the Sky God Marduk. In addition, this festival signified the crowning of new kings in the kingdom.

Moving on, most civilizations across the globe would celebrate New Year as a mark of the beginning of some astronomical or harvesting periods. Interestingly, Egyptians celebrated the New Year with the annual flooding of the river Nile. On the other hand, the Chinese celebrated this occasion on the second day of Winter Solstice. 

Now, since you know about the different cultures and their respective dates of New Year celebrations, let’s understand why the present generation marks Jan 1st to be beginning of the year. Here’s the story – The ancient Romans used a calendar that consisted of 10 months and 304 days. Later, King Numa Pompilius added two more months – Januaries and Februaries. This addition of extra two months to the calendar created many problems to synchronize the dates. Therefore, King Julius Caesar (Queen Cleopatra’s husband) revamped the calendar to give it the essence of that of the Gregorian calendar. For your information, Gregorian calendar is the most popularly followed calendar today.

As part of his reform, Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel branches and attending parties. As per a day in the Gregorian Calendar of Christendom, New Year's Day marked the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ. It is still observed as such in the Anglican Church and Lutheran Church.

So, this was the real story behind the institutionalizing of the New Year’s date. Hope it helped you to gain some knowledge. Now since you know this great tale, why don’t you flaunt it in front of all your friends? I’d like to tell you one thing – knowledge is the best thing that you can carry with yourself because it never leaves your side. Your favorite chocolate may go out of stock, that video game you enjoyed may get destroyed; but knowledge is always with you, it is always there for you! So, keep learning new things and acquiring new knowledge. With Best Brains, we strive to unleash your true potential so that you grow up to be well-informed, knowledgeable and successful adults. 

So, until next time, keep sharing your knowledge with everyone around, and enjoy this festive spirit of loving and sharing. And as William Shakespeare says, “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.” Keep learning and keep flying high! Best wishes to all of you.

Wishing you all a very joyful, prosperous and successful New Year from our team of 'Best Brains.' Keep that smile on, cheers!

Hurray! Make merry friends, it's Christmas time! Yes, it's time to store up on your stockings, clean your chimney, sing carols and anticipate the long list of goodies you want from Santa! Let me tell you, you will get all of it and much more. You've been a great kid all year long. So, in those circumstances, you are sure to receive everything from God and his son Jesus Christ, after all, it's Christ's birthday.

Well, since we're rejoicing in the Christmas spirit, let me ask you something. Do you really know why mommy daddy and everyone around decorate the Christmas tree and celebrate Christmas with all pomp and show? Umm... A little confused? Okay! Let's tell you a story. So, bring yourself a cookie, sit back comfortably and enjoy this amazing tale of the significance of Christmas.

First of all, let's talk about the Holy Spirit. He is the symbolization of Divinity. He was born at a time when the world was filled up with evil monsters, yes, all your scary demons and mean people. Christ's birthday was a symbol of simplicity. 

It was over 2,000 years ago that there lived a woman named Mary; she was engaged to Joseph. One day Angel Gabriel appeared before her and said, "God has been very kind to you. You will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to His Son. You will call him Jesus." Mary was very afraid, but she obliged due to her unshakable faith in God. She replied, 'Let it happen as God chooses." Joseph, Mary's fiancé, was worried that Mary is pregnant even before their marriage. Then Angel Gabriel came in his dream and said, "Don't be afraid to have Mary as your wife. She would give birth to God's son. This boy will go on to save the world and be the ‘Savior.' Joseph woke up the next morning and did as he was told and took Mary to be his wife.

During that time, Mary and Joseph lived in the Roman Empire. The Kingdom's emperor Augustus announced an official decree that whosoever are living in the Kingdom must pay taxes, otherwise leaves for their original homeland. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because that was Joseph's native place. During the course of their travel, they found it very difficult to find a place to stay. Finally, unable to find a proper shelter, the parents had to settle for a stable. At that place, Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ!

As Christ came into this world, many more angels appeared, lighting up the sky. They were heard praising God and singing: 'Glory to God in the highest and peace to everyone on earth.’ Angels came down to the local shepherds and told them, "Don’t be afraid. A Savior is born to help you. He will be in the manger." The shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph. Baby Jesus was lying in a manger as the angels had told them. When they saw him, they told everyone what the angel had said and everyone who heard the story was astonished. Then the shepherds returned to their sheep, praising God for sending his Son to be their Savior.

The entire sky was lit up, and there was a star glowing with unmatched brilliance. A few very wise men saw it and were sure that it signified the birth of a very great king. They began to follow the star that led them to Mary and Joseph's stable. The very wise men bow down to Jesus' parents and  presented Jesus with gifts, which they had brought along with them. The gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

So, my little friends, this was the story of our beloved Jesus Christ. As you would have observed, God's son was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or learned parents. Jesus Christ was born in a simple lowly place, a corner of a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents, who had nothing to boast about, except their own spotless character and holiness. His birth scene shows us that even the greatest of all individuals came into this world with utmost simplicity, holiness and lack of grandeur. 

So, do not wish for very expensive gifts or dream of wealth and luxury. Instead, wish for love and happiness because simplicity and good character will keep you closer to God. So, do you want to be good children and become nearer to God and His son? Then, spread happiness, study well in schools just like Best Brains that helps you to reach your true potential, and be very obedient to your parents. That's it! You will always remain happy and become great people when you grow up! 

    

Here's wishing you Merry Christmas from the entire team of Best Brains. Stay blessed! Cheers!!!