Decking the halls
and spreading good cheer takes a lot
of energy, and no
one knows that like a mom. Here are some tips
to make sure you enjoy every last fa-la-la.
1. Rise
and SHINE.
Greet each day in
the right frame of mind. Here's one
technique to help
you do so. Inspired by Arnold Patent's
"Ideal Day
Exercise," this method is so empowering, you
may find yourself
skipping past the coffeepot.
As you lie in
bed, summon the physical feeling that
accompanies
unabashed, unbridled joy. You know the
feeling, though
it's one you may have felt only a few
times in your
life. It's a feeling that's impossible
to put into
words, through I once heard it described
as the urge to
throw your shoes way, way up in the air,
and I think
that's fairly accurate. Seize that feeling.
Experience that
sense of joy fizzing inside you.
Keep hold of it
until you feel as though you're
ready to pop.
Then pop out of bed.
I follow this
with a mantra or saying that I repeat,
throughout the
day, as a reminder to return to my
center of joyful
energy. My favorites: "What we focus
on expands,"
"Joy to the world," and "This is the day
that the Lord has
made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Recite a rousing
quote, a line from a song, an inspiring
verse from your
own religious faith, or make up your
own saying.
2. Stay
Centered.
An energetic and
peaceful holiday season is possible
only when you
strive to live with integrity the whole
year through.
Right now, ask yourself: What do you
value, above all
else? What comes second? Third? How
important is your
spirituality, your family, your
time for
yourself, your profession?
After some
thought and reflection, rank your top
priorities on a
Post-it-Note where you'll see it
throughout the
day. (Mine's on my computer monitor).
Use your list
when asked to make commitments and
compromises. If
the request doesn't jibe with your list,
you don't just
have permission, you have an obligation
to say no.
This list of
priorities may set the course for new
holiday
traditions, as well. Perhaps you will donate
toys, books, and
food to charities. Perhaps you will
help serve dinner
at a homeless shelter instead of
indulging in a
huge holiday meal. Bringing joy to the
world outside
your own is one of the most energizing
things you can
do.
For a moment or
two, indulge the ghost of
Christmas Past.
What memories immediately come
forth that evoke
a fond nostalgia? For me, it isn't
the gifts or the
shopping or even the parties. It's
rocking my
infant, alone, by candlelight, to "Silent
Night." It's
letting the 2-year-old crack the eggs
for the cookies,
and seeing the pride on her
floury face.
Decide what the
holidays are to you. Then make a
plan to weave
more of those activities into your
holidays, and
reduce the rest.
3. Deck
the Halls with Light and Love.
Don't let
commercialism spoil your fun.
Make the simple
promise to yourself that, this year,
you'll enjoy your
holiday shopping. Brainstorm ways
you can make this
happen.
For me, the mall
is a giant energy drain. The look
of worried
resignation as a shopper hands over her
credit card tells
me that she's shopping out of a
sense of
obligation and not one of joy. And it
sours my holiday
spirit.
Instead, I carve
out an afternoon all to myself.
I put on an
Andrea Bocelli CD, sip Chai tea from
a giant mug, and
curl up with a fleece blanket
to surf the
Internet and page through catalogs.
That's how I find
just the right something for
everyone on my
very short list. When it ceases
to be fun, I
stop.
I so enjoy
shopping this way that, throughout the
year, I bookmark
sites that offer just the right
items. Sites such
as GAIAM, which couples a commitment
to sustainable
commerce, the environment, and
personal health
with natural products for relaxation
and self-care.
Sites such as
Little Did I Know.com. Everything on
this site is
either handmade, distributed, or invented
by a work-at-home
mom. Ordering from them means
supporting such
families and the value systems
they embrace.
Sites such as
SERRV International, a nonprofit
organization that
helps to improve conditions for
artisans in
developing countries through free trade.
Here, you can
purchase everything from home furnishings
to jewelry made
in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and
Latin America. (SERRV
even allows you to purchase coffee
directly from the
growers. The prices are affordable
and you'll be
drinking in the good karma every morning.)
If you find the
materialism of the season draining your
energy, commit to
making an attitude shift. If you
want things to be
different this year, only you can
make it so. Take
the lead for your family, and live
in such a way
that you prove less stuff really does
equal more fun.
Maybe you'll take
the money you usually spend on
one-too-many toys
and enjoy, instead, a weekend
family getaway.
Maybe you'll make homemade goodies,
such as picture
frames, home movies, or goodie
baskets, which
the whole family helps to create.
Maybe you'll bag
the traditional gift-giving and
start a new
tradition. In our family, it goes like
this: Each guest
brings a wrapped gift of roughly
the same dollar
value. We sit in a circle and each
person, in turn,
has the option of taking a gift
that's already
been opened or opening a new one.
It's fun. It's
festive. It gets everyone moving
and talking, and
it switches the focus to the
relationships and
the event...not the gifts.
One of the best
ways to avoid commercialism
is to simply turn
off the TV and its advertisements
for the newest
plastic plaything. Return instead
to the
educational standbys...books, blocks, water,
sand, and time
with mom and dad.
Momscape humor
columnist Linda Sharp once asked
a group of kids
to name one thing they'd like
from their
parents that wouldn't cost a dime.
The answers:
"Listen to me, please," "Teach me
to cook,"
"Stop being so busy," "Hug me more,"
"Read to
me..."
Hard to wrap, but
easy to give.
4. Bring
Tidings of Comfort and Joy...to Yourself.
This year, be
realistic with your time and money.
Start early, plan
well, and take care of yourself.
- Simplify as
much as possible. Eat out. Use paper
plates. If a
holiday tradition is old and tired,
reinvigorate it
or start a new tradition of staying
at home. Plan
ahead. To help, chances are, your
favorite food
website has a checklist for big
holiday events.
- Replenish your
natural energy by taking care of
your body. Eat
right. Exercise (in the crisp
outdoors once in
a while). Drink water. Sleep.
- Energize your
image. Give yourself an early holiday
gift or a great
haircut, a brow shaping, a pedicure
with bright red
polish, or a free makeover at your
favorite
cosmetics counter and a purchase of the
most vibrant
lipstick shade you'll actually wear.
- Keep a
"joy journal" this holiday season, in
which you record
the funny things your kids say,
joyful times you
share, your favorite things to
do with your
kids, your husband, and by yourself,
and all the
things for which you are grateful.
Use your Joy
Journal as a reminder of the facets
of your life-and
this holiday season-that are
really important.
- Deck the halls
with items of comfort and joy.
Display
photographs from past holiday celebrations.
Keep in full view
reminders that you take care of
yourself...fresh
flowers, indulgent hand crème,
inspiring music,
and energizing scents, such as
citrus or
peppermint.
- De-clutter.
Here's an effective technique, created
by the Flylady,
who is committed to helping us all
simplify and
de-clutter. It's called the
"27 Fling
Boogie": Go through your home with a
give-away box in
hand and toss 27 items.
(The Flylady also
offers a creative and extensive
list of
clutter-free holiday gift ideas here:
- Keep the
romance alive. We all know about the
prescription for
a weekly date night. We also
know how hard it
is to make that a reality.
Meanwhile, many
married couples report that
the simple act of
kissing is the first part
of intimacy to
disappear. Schedule a 15-minute
kissing date at
least once a week, and marvel
at its power to
reinvigorate your relationship.
- Spend the
season with your most energetic friends.
Instead of
letting the Scrooges in your life yank
you down, send
them something sweet from a Secret
Santa. A little
anonymous enchantment may be just
what they need.
As you commit to
keeping your spirit centered this
holiday season,
engage your kids in the process.
Recognize your
children as the gifts they are.
The gift to you
as a mother, and your gift to
the world. Strive
to greet each day as though
it were Christmas
and await, with reverence,
the surprises
that your family will help you
uncover. Today
and every day.
About the
Author:
Susie Michelle
Cortright is the author of More Energy
for Moms and the
founder of Momscape.com. She is a
writer and
full-time mom whose passion is helping
women celebrate
and embrace their role as mothers.
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