By Colleen Langenfeld
The holiday season is fast approaching! Are you
looking forward to the festivities, symbolism and
glow of the holidays or are you secretly dreading
this busy time of the year?
Here are five simple suggestions to help you keep
the holy and the happy in your holidays.
- Plan early.
Always wanted to see a special concert during the
holiday season? Treat friends to a popular restaurant?
Organize the toy drive at work? Planning your holiday
season early allows you to make it the memorable
season it was meant to be.
- Set limits.
Doing this step alone will bring you more peace this
year. Grab a sheet of paper and while you are sitting
in front of your favorite TV show or waiting for
dinner to cook, write down the three most important
activities you'd like to get done this holiday season.
If you feel compelled to list more, do so, and then
number your list in order of importance to you. The
top three items are your goal; these items matter
greatly to you and deserve your best attention.
- Help others.
No matter what your faith, helping others is the
cornerstone of the holiday season. Joy is the reward
for the giver, so ask yourself where you can be of the
most help this year. Give of your time in a soup
kitchen, volunteer to deliver meals and a smile to
folk who are homebound, collect corporate donations,
throw a party for your kids' teachers at school. You
will receive far more than you give.
- Include the kids.
Traditions are great, but sometimes we find ourselves
going through the motions instead of honoring the
memories of holidays past. Asking your children what
they think would add quality to your family's holiday
celebrations gets everyone musing about the true
meaning of the season.
- Stick to a budget.
If you find yourself attaching fun to spending money,
well...you know the problem with that. In fact, some
families make a game of seeing how LITTLE they can
spend through the holidays. In order to avoid a
financial hangover in the new year, now is the time
to set a spending limit and stick to it.
All of these suggestions speak of quality vs. quantity
in your celebration of this holy time of year. Pick
one or two tonight and get started on your family's
most memorable holiday season ever!
(c) Colleen Langenfeld delivers deals, tips and
creative resources to working moms who want
the most out of their homes, families and
careers at http://www.paintedgold.com .
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