'Tis The Season..........

Making my list and checking it twice...... With Christmas a week away we are all hearing it....."so are you ready?" And we all know what that means "shopping done?" The holiday is truly defined by many as obligatory gift exchange, preparing large meals, cleaning house, and stressing to the point of being disgruntled.

Well not for this bloggin' mama! As my faithful readers know I believe in "know thyself"! Translated...keeping stress level to a minimum and know the triggers. For me the above does not define how I feel about Christmas at all. I believe in festive celebrations, time with people who hold a special place in my heart and simple kind gestures. I have discovered that not sweating the small stuff and lowering my expectations to a more realistic level of what I want to accomplish, works wonders. As a result memories (fun ones) are made, lives are touched and the season ticks along merry and bright.

As with all things worth having, we need to make an effort. The way I look at it is.....if it's going to be a whole lot of effort to keep going on the Christmas hamster wheel, and it doesn't make ya' happy, why not focus the effort into taking a breath, defining what is important in your heart and feel the love that you give out, coming right back around to you.

So how about you check THIS list twice?

1. Write a letter to someone special
2. When having guests over, give them a little favor when they leave. Try personalizing an ornament to remember the gathering
3. Commit to three simple deeds to brighten someone's day
4. Write a note to each of your children, sharing some of the qualities you love about them
5. Pick up few $5.00 gift cards and have fun passing them out. (to people you don't know...by all means)
6. Turn down someone's bed in the house with a Sweet Dreams note (now that would be some one you DO know for goodness sakes)
7. Leave candy on a co worker's desk and help them guess who may have left it
8. Cut out snowflakes and hang them around the house
9. When preparing for guests to arrive, leave enough time (which you will have if you tossed Martha Stewart ideas out the window) and sit quietly and think about the intent of the get together...family, friends and happiness.
10. Rinse and repeat