Make this holiday season the best ever by putting a halt to the hurried life. Pause, step away from the bustle and make it a rich, delicious time for friends, family and gentle memories. When we exchange overwhelming expectations, meaningless obligations, and tiresome traditions for those that put a glow in our hearts, we nurture contentment now and all year long. These 10 tips will take the hurry out of the season. And they're easy on the pocketbook, too.
1. Appreciate what you already have. Take a hard look at the blessings surrounding you. Joy flourishes when we feel, and then express, gratitude. Give thanks for the good things in your life and watch your anxiety level plummet while your happiness quotient skyrockets.
2. Toss tiresome traditions. Nothing clouds the holiday horizon more than expectations that have lost their zest. Inject this season with new family activities while preserving the traditions that still have meaning. This might mean nixing the formal sit-down dinner for a casual buffet, booking a sunny vacation, or purchasing specialties from the neighbourhood bakery instead of making them all yourself.
3. Great gifts nourish the soul without cluttering your home. Gourmet delicacies, lunch invitations to the newest hot spot, a great bottle of wine, concert or sporting event tickets, gift certificates for spa treatments, or weekends at a resort won't become after-season castoffs. And they can be arranged with a phone call.
4. Kid around. Pick up coloured paper, ribbons, stickers, paper doilies and other crafty items and spend an afternoon creating holiday magic with the children in your life. If you don't have kids, borrow some. Their mothers will thank you!
5. Think green. Seasonal flowering plants and cedar or fir boughs interspersed with fairy lights and multisized candles make a simple yet stunning statement. Less really is more when it comes to decorating.
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