Happy Holidays to all!

Well, the time has arrived for me where there is no time left and all there is to be done is enjoy! I wish you all a wonderful holiday, whether you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas or Kwanza. May your holidays be bright, may your new year shine brighter and may you prosper and be successful at all that you do. We have much to anticipate in 2009. No status quo this New Year. Keep checking back with me for more tips and commentary in Tending to Details. Happy Holidays one and all. Miriam

Walk the Walk

I think that's what I'm trying to do here! After reading my last entry and analyzing my state of consciousness...I'll make a better effort! Not that I'm smothering, I just am realizing with a week to go I am finally beginning to feel the pinch and a little panic. It's not the usual kind of panic; palpitations, sweaty palms and the like, but enough that I wake during the night and have to have a conversation with myself. I go through the mindtalk at 3 am that I am totally on the ball and have everything in order and no need to fret. I wake a little stressed about situations I totally have well covered! A horrible habit to kick! I am having about 25 people here on Xmas day and food needs to be ordered and purchased. Gifts outside of the fam are wrapped but I still have plenty of work to do. Busy, busy, busy. So, I will impart some words of wisdom that even I need to hear today. One of my favorite tidbits is to simply, "breathe". I have a son who as a little boy would get himself unnecessarily "freaked" over situations that he felt were out of his control which is how we adults sometimes react, but so not necessary for a little 4 year old. I would hold his hand, or hug him and we would take long deep cleansing breaths together and we would just breathe. So, that still works for me. Once re-oxygenated, then, make that list and stick to it. Update and revise each day. Figure out how much time you have to dedicate to the holiday, work backwards from the impending holiday and assign a task each day. Break the day up, figure out what needs to be tended to that relates to your day-to-day and add in a task here or there to be accomplished. That's all we can do. We can't do any more than we can handle. Rome wasn't built in a day and we don't need to be feeling the burn here! Whatever last minute gift I've neglected can always be given and received after the new year as a gesture of thanks for the year ahead. So many people come into our daily lives that we feel we should recognize, and well we should. If it helps you to feel more in control though, purchase a few gender neutral but thoughtful gifts and stash them in a closet. When you find yourself in need just grab one of these little trinkets and you're always at the ready. I try to do this throughout the year with children's gifts. There will be the last minute party invite for one of the boys and no shopping time open. It works, try it. Another nice thank you is to print on the computer a little paragraph of thoughts about someone you need to gift with special thanks. I suggest a little 2x3 or 4x6 size and frame it. This makes a nice affirmation gift for someone that can be placed on their desk at work, tucked in amongst the clutter but can be read and re-read daily. It always nice to tell someone what they mean to you as they don't usually hear it enough or sometimes don't realize how they have positively impacted your life. And what a nice reminder when we get down on ourselves to have that little inspiration to lift us up. I call that a gift! Sometimes it's not easy to tell someone face to face how you feel about them, or we just assume they know. This way they'll always be reminded. There, I think I've solved my own gifting dilemma that woke me early morn. Now that that's behind me, I have the whole day to be successful! Thanks for reading! Miriam

Tending to Details again!

I'm chuckling to myself as I begin this post because I don't know where I've been of late...but not here! Tending to Details, I guess! With the Turkey Holiday so closely chasing the feathers of the next one...well, I'm smothering already in tasks! We've lost a week this year and I'm just realizing that I'm a tad behind. I enjoyed the candied yams and cranberries just a bit too much! So, if you're anything like me you're in need of a jumpstart and some organizational tools to stay afloat. With Chanukah and Christmas so close together this year we all are in a bustle, if this is the holiday you celebrate. Simplify now and you won't get caught missing out. If you can't get to holiday cards, save them for Valentines Day! I had a friend teach me this a long while back. I was so impressed with her that she didn't cause herself alot of strife at Christmas! She simply saved her cards and family photos until Valentines Day when the hustle bustle is over. People are really happy to receive a nice note and pictures of friends they don't see often at a time when we are supposed to be letting people we care about know how much we think of them. So, toss that task aside for now, if need be. With the shopping, well, we all are feeling the punch this year, I'm sure. Keep it simple, keep it close to the heart and give exactly what that person needs or wants. No frills, no useless mismatched purchases just because you need a gift and stopped at the store down the street on your way by. Think it through a bit, make the extra effort but make it thoughtful and worthwhile. Don't worry how much you spend. When it's the perfect gift, you'll know it, and no dollar amount can be put on that! Take time out to sit and enjoy family and friends. A simple cup of spice tea, glass of nog or wine and a chat mean so much more than a big overdone catered affair where there are so many bodies bumping up against us that we just want to find the blinking exit sign and head for home. This isn't the purpose of a gathering but at times this is how we can feel. The decorating can become so cumbersome too so keep it simple. Let all the family members get in on the action and get creative. Outdoor lights are the most fun, just keep it simple and inviting. It's really neat to hang them at night! Put out a boom box for some inspirational holiday music, pour some hot cocoa and grab the ladder! Just be careful! A few colorful lights, window candles and a great door wreath can spruce things up and say Welcome! So, enjoy the festivities...relax and breath deep! It's all good and it should not be about stress and angst! It's about family, friends, togetherness and joy! Peace and happy holidays to all! Miriam