Happy Holidays to all. The decorations, stockings and tree are all up. Most of the shopping is even done (wow)! Now the wrapping, shipping, baking, etc. can begin. The goal this year is to be finished (or mostly so) weeks before Christmas so that I can actually take a breather, relax and enjoy the holiday season... instead of running around like a crazy person. Our son will be home from college the second week of December and I truly look forward to having a stress free, slow stroll into the thick of the season. I am by nature an uber organized person. I live by "THE LIST" year round but especially during the holidays. Having a list and sticking to it (except for the occasional change of a Christmas present here and there) makes life less overwhelming. It also gives a huge sense of accomplishment everytime I get to mark something off the list. My list helps keep me sane! It lets me wrap my mind around all of the things left to do so that I can break them down into managable "to-do's" everyday. I believe this time of year we can all let ourselves get a little overwhelmed, especially those of us who tend to over do things. Even though I am an organized person, I am also a perfectionist. I have to really rein myself in this time of year so I don't make life unbearable for my husband and son. I have learned over the years that less is most certainly more. In years past it took me nearly a week to decorate, everything had to be just perfect (perfection is in the eyes of the beholder of course). Then the baking would start (several days). I would drive myself crazy looking for the perfect gifts for each and every family member. Christmas cards out to friends, family, business associates, etc. (at least a 3 to 4 day job, after of course the several days of shopping for the perfect cards). Even though all of the above was very well thought out and organized, at some point it zapped the spirit out of the holidays (and ME!). My new motto is EDIT, EDIT, EDIT. Less is more! I still of course try to find great gifts for loved ones, but perfection is edited out of the thought process. Let's face it, what is the perfect gift anyway...you can make yourself crazy trying to figure that out. Believe me I know! HA HA I have streamlined the amount of decorations I put out which I think in many ways makes what I do put out more special. My husband used to say that we had so much he couldn't see it all! HA HA Also, I now bake one day only and just make the things that are the absolute favorites of my son and hubby. Life is too short and time is too precious! Here's hoping you all have a wonderful stress-free holiday season. Remember less is more in many cases. Pace yourself and edit. Work off of a list to keep you organized and on task. Hopefully this will allow you time to sit back, relax, have a cup of coco, read a good book and actually enjoy your loved ones and the season. After all...isn't that what its all about anyway. Happy Sprucing! |
 |
|||||||
 
|
|
 |
|||||
    |
|||||||
