Phoebe Chongchua's Live Fit Magazine

With the holiday season in the distant past, only a residue of Christmas wrapping paper remains stuffed under beds, left over fruitcake sits in the corner of the refrigerator and memories are tightly tucked away inside our heads-we sigh, another year's gone by.

There's something about ringing in another 365 days that makes most of us reflect on our lives. As the New Year unfolds we begin to anticipate what lies ahead and how we'll make this year the best year yet.

And often we discover that something is missing in our lives. It's a curious phenomenon that occurs-the transition from child to adult often depletes our sense of humor and instead replaces it with worry.

On a recent vacation I learned that one of the most important characteristics to keep intact is my sense of humor in the coming New Year. In fact, studies show that laughter boosts your immune system, reduces fatigue by 87 percent and generally helps people deal with stressful situations better.

A few years ago over Christmas break I vacationed in Twain Harte with my daughter, Siena, and her friend Kelly.  We'd been there two days and had not yet skied. So despite the heavy storm that was blowing in, we headed out to the nearby ski resort, little did we know that we were destined for A Series of Unfortunate Events.

The snow was coming down fast, blanketing once-green pine trees. After getting two kids fed, bathroom runs, loading up the car, more bathroom runs and satisfying last minute ‘I'm hungry' cries we finally got a very late start up the hill to Dodge Ridge.

A battle with the snow chains-one apparently had gotten bent and was destined to loosen itself every few feet-slowed our journey but didn't dampen our spirits-we were going skiing.

Only 5 miles from the lodge we were in a steady stream of traffic, until the car in front of us decided to quickly break on a snow-covered road. My friend had to swerve slightly to avoid hitting the car. In a matter of minutes the front end of our car was securely settled into a snowy embankment-we were stuck.

It's amazing how many things can go wrong when you're on your way to doing something fun. But even more amazing is how much fun you can have in spite of your circumstances.

If you watch kids then you'll notice that they laugh, not a little, but a lot. In fact, they actually laugh 400 times a day compared to adults who choose to stifle the giggles and laugh on average only 15 times a day.

So it's not surprising that in difficult situations a lot can be learned from children. While we were stuck, the girls were giggling, playing in the snow, building an igloo (in case we had to stay for the night, they told us). Worry that our day on the slopes was gradually slipping away was of no concern to the girls. No, they were having fun in the midst of life's zingers; just taking life for what it has to offer and relishing the present moment.

Seeing the girls delight in life's simple and free pleasures made me think about how our fast-paced society is becoming driven by the need for more, newer and extravagant toys. And adults can actually be worse than kids when it comes to supporting the production of top-line gadgets, fully-loaded cars and trinkets that claim to simplify our lives (of course you have to read the 85-page, fine print manual first).

This New Year your resolutions might be about saving money or even a marriage, they might be about losing weight or working less and enjoying life more. Whatever you're committed to bringing about in the New Year, be sure to do it with a chuckle and a lighthearted heart-it could just be the missing link to Living Well in 2009. By the way, we made it to the slopes that day in time to eat and learn that they closed in 40 minutes. So, we took our cue from the kids and pulled the sleds out and played for free. Thank goodness I have a nine-year old to remind me about how to Live Well.