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November 27, 2017 0 Comments

4 Ways to Be Present Over the Holidays

The holidays are here! We’re into the holiday season now, but there’s still over a month of festivities to go.  Are you finding yourself overwhelmed by this time of year?  There’s often a lot going on, and it can be hard to stay in the present moment.

The holidays are the times that we look back on as magical. It’s important to employ techniques that keep us mindful and present.  Read along for our best tips!

Take time

Take time each day during your holiday break to spend time with friends and family.  Give them your full attention! Plan something that you wouldn’t normally do, or simply find somewhere fun and unique to have a great conversation.

The greatest gift we can give each other is our time, so go out of your way to give it freely this year.  You will never regret time well spent with those you love!

Be grateful

According to Harvard Health, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to focus on what needs done and not what we’re grateful for.  Take a few minutes every day to make a list – mental or physical – of what you’re grateful for.  It’s an important task with numerous benefits to your health and wellbeing!

Make memories

This is a time of year to have fun and make memories with those we love. If your parties don’t allow you much down time with friends and family, consider catering.  If they tend to lag, think about adding some fun games.

Games, good conversation, and quality time tend to add up to wonderful memories.  You can do something you normally wouldn’t do.  Try ice skating with your kids, outsource the dessert making if you don’t like it and don’t have any time, catch a midnight movie with a friend.  Whatever you do this season, take time to make memories that will last – and enjoy them in the process.

Turn it off

Technology, that is! We’re all glued to our computers, cellphones, and tablets every day, so use this time to disconnect.  You don’t have to fully toss your devices, but limit them as much as you can.  As we mentioned before, giving someone your full attention is a great gift, and you can’t truly do that if you’re constant looking at your phone.

Ask friends and family members if they’re willing to keep technology away from the dining table, and continue this into the evening if you’re all sitting around talking, playing games, or simply enjoying each other’s’ time.  Keep devices limited to emergencies and quick check-ins.

Staying present involves your time, effort, and gratitude to complete.  This time of year, being present it truly worth it.  Give the gift of yourself, fully present, to your friends and family this season.

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November 13, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Holiday Organization

The holidays are almost here! It’s the best time of the year, but it can also be the least organized. Between family, friends, extra events, parties, gifts, and so much more, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

To avoid overwhelm and stay present in this holiday season, read along for some best tips for holiday organization.

Start early

Thanksgiving is almost here, but there’s still plenty of time before Christmas and the New Year! Avoid a lot of stress, panic, and lack of ideas by beginning as early as possible.

If you have a lot of gifts to buy, it can even be helpful to create a separate bookmark folder on your computer to compile gift ideas.  Simply copy down the link, take a screenshot, or store the item in your bookmarks folder with the name of the recipient.  Then, when it’s time to buy, you have some great ideas ready to go.

Create a work schedule

Work doesn’t go away during the holiday season.  If you know you’re going to have a particularly busy holiday, start working ahead as soon as possible.  Complete a few items per day that will go towards days you wish to take off or work less.

Holidays are special, and it’s important to spend time with your friends and family as everyone has more time off from work.  Put in the time, effort, and work ahead of time now so you can fully enjoy those moments later.  This way, you aren’t scrambling to finish work at the last minute, or worse yet, missing those fun, special times with those you love.

Less stuff

A lot of “stuff” can cause chaos in the home.  Make this the year of less “stuff!” No, it doesn’t mean you have to forego gifts, but can you do them differently.  Cut down on the number of things and up the value; it’s always preferable to focus on quality over quantity anyway.

For your kids, a useful practice can be to donate old items that are no longer used.  Have them select a few items to donate or throw away before the season of gifts arrives.  It’s not about prying away their favorite items that are truly used, but to make room for the new.  A home with less “stuff” is typically much less chaotic and more organized.

More experiences

On the topic of giving less “stuff,” comes experiences.  Experiences are wonderful gifts that give the gift of time, thought, and something unexpected.

Whether it’s a spa day, outdoor activity, escape room certificate, unique dinner out certificate, and so on, these are all items that can be experienced.  Experiences have the added benefit of your time!

Buy a gift card for two massages and treat your mom to a spa day.  If your kids love the water, treat them to a day at an indoor water park this winter.  The immediate gratification may not be there, but once the experience is underway, it’s typically the most memorable and most appreciated type of gift.

Other experiences come from participating in activities during the holiday season.  There’s so much cool stuff that goes on this time of year! Adventure out of your comfort zone, grab a friend or family member, and head out to enjoy some of the fun things that this time of year brings.

Organize the major days

Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, Hanukkah – just to name a few! There are so many big days during the holiday season.  Start a list or a spreadsheet of each holiday you intend to celebrate in a big way and begin your checklist.

Whether it’s meals, cooking schedules, gift to dos, or things to pick up, include it all! Having your items in one central location like Dropbox or Google Docs can make collaborating and sharing among family and friends even easier too.

Eliminate the overwhelm this year! Start early, focus on less “stuff” and more experiences, and take the time to organize the big days.  You’ll be glad you planned ahead a bit when you’re able to enjoy more quality time with those you love!

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