Parties, shopping, decorating - it's a crazy time of year. It's hard to keep in your normal groove. I've have a hard time with that since September...I'm trying to get re-focused and centered again. What do you do to keep some normality in your life at this time of year?

Mel

I'm in pretty good shape holiday wise. I'm going to try and finish up the bulk of the remaining shopping this weekend and I have a good start on the wrapping too. Hopefully will finish most if not all of that in the next week in 15 min FLY sessions. I have the office Holiday Party next week and I'm chair of the committee. That is causing less stress than past years but there is always something (this year the girl who said she'd make centerpieces has a last minute deployment to Sudan for a Yellow Fever outbreak). We've got it pretty well handled though I think. My house is decorated. There is one small tree and some odds and ends I didn't get out. May or may not try to do that next week. Doesn't matter too much either way. I have a big weekend in Denver planned this weekend and then another bunch of stuff planned in 2 weeks. Next weekend I intentionally kept pretty open to finish up any last minute stuff so hopefully I can do that and then glide through the last 2 weeks. We'll see.

In terms of keeping it normal, I am forcing myself to keep up the morning exercise thing. I've been sorely, sorely tempted to bag it until after the New Year but I know in my heart of hearts that is a bad, bad idea. Not just weight wise but stress wise and my workout buddy needs the stress relief as much or more than I do so I don't want to bail on her either. One thing I've really gotten goofed up is food at work. I've been really busy there and haven't been getting my lunch and decent snacks there. This is a good reminder for me to try and figure out something for that this coming week so I'm not eating out a ton on top of all the holiday stuff. I should have time Sunday evening to pull something together. I need to use up the rest of the turkey breast I made last weekend anyway.

Thanks Mel! I needed that little kick in the behind.

Peg

I have been trying really hard to scale back my Holiday planning this year. It helps alot that my mother is hosting Christmas dinner this year. So far I am only hosting my annual tree decorating next weekend. The upcoming week will be quite stressful but after that it should be smooth sailing.

To keep things smooth and semi-normal I have made list after list to try and space out all that I have to do. I have already made an appointment to get my hair done, manicure and pedicure in order to treat myself as I am running around for others. I have my meal plans made for the month with a lot of flexibility for last minute invites or entertaining.

The best or worst part of the season is that when I bake and cook alot I tend not to eat a lot. I need to add to my grocery list a choice of healthy snaking options for those times when I am not really hungry but I am feeling peckish.

quote:

Originally posted by Laurie:
I'll try to put up a tree next week... we have a 3 foot one that goes up and can be decorated in about 10 minutes.

We have a 1.5 ft tree and after Christmas, I put it in a garbage bag with the lights and ornaments still on it and put it in a bin.

Then the next year, I just pull it out of the bag all decorated. I just have to adjust the lights a little and plug it in. It is our favorite tree. Got it when ds was 9 months old and we put it on a counter that he couldn't reach.

Ooooo O0ooooo Oooooo... I'm going out to the shed now to get it!!!

EDIT: Nope too dark and scary out there... tomorrow!

quote:

Originally posted by mountaingirl:
Denise, you have such a great attitude. Can you pass some of that over here!

I'm working on it.

I get blue sometimes around the holidays... I woke up this morning thinking about my MANY dead relatives (many of whom should be alive... except they did themselves in with drink and drugs, etc.) and a few gone friends who I miss at this time of year.

But also, my grandmother (and ALL of my relatives) enjoyed the holidays VERY much. I’m not sure if I believe in a heaven with all of them “up there” looking down on us… but if it exists… my relatives would want to be remembered, but not necessarily mourned at this time of year. They’d want to see me happy.

Not that I have to be happy every minute of the day…

Maybe experiencing the blues in moderation is a good analogy . Isn't something you want to over indulge in... but to miss people is good.

Be a drag to live a lifetime and never have anybody significant enough or close enough that you never experienced loss.

(I still miss my nice cat who has been dead for several years. That's how well adjusted I am!)

quote:

Originally posted by TriGirl:
I still haven't started my shopping yet, so I am apparently handling Christmas by forgetting about it.... I have to get out there this weekend -- yikes!

LOL!!! the ostarige** approach to Xmas... "I'll just put my head in the sand until January".

**Spell checker can’t fix my terrible spelling… the big bird with long legs…

I still haven't started my shopping yet, so I am apparently handling Christmas by forgetting about it.... I have to get out there this weekend -- yikes!

I tend to like lots of normal routine and a regular schedule. Cooking and eating at home please me. This helps.

We do have parties coming up. The week just before Christmas and the week of Christmas are the most "full" this season.

I am being very clean and on plan for the next couple weeks so as not to go into these activities with extra weight. It seems to be working.

The extension of being on plan (for me) is that I have an easier time being on plan. I think this has to do with my self-esteem.

I am also doing some more organized cardio and strength classes. The strength work always helps me feel good and be on plan. (Oh that I could remember this fact when I let weights go because I only have 10 minutes or when I think I can blow it off for a few extra days.)

I have a date book, goes back to my years of Mary Kay service, and every week or month, I write in things that are non-negotiable dates.
No one gets my swimming time unless they are dying or in an emergency. I put in pen, red at that, those things that aren't moveable, my dates with my hubbie, my exercise time, my WWmeetings, my date with a gf....and then I pencil in everything else as it comes. And I put in everything, even tv time, shopping time, etc. But that's the highly organized person in me...it works for me.

Other than 3 holiday parties to attend, one of which is over already, Christmas is pretty stress free this year.

We will be home and it will just be DH, DS and myself. The day after we are meeting my parents in Nashville, TN to hand off DS for two weeks. So, I actually may have MORE time than normal during the holiday season.

Also, at work I am in charge of our largest client, and they shut down for two weeks so work should be slower than normal too.

Dawn

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at this holiday season. Probably not the best time to switch jobs, especially in retail. I'm a nervous wreck about starting the new one monday. The old job is trying to convince me to work a couple days a week through New Years. I just had to say no. My reward for saying no is a 6 day work week this week.

I don't have a lot of holiday parties to attend, just my parents open house. It will most likely be a rather hectic night as more people want to stop by to see my dad after his rough year. Of course this is assuming he is feeling up to it at all. He starts another round of chemo Tuesday. Then what may be his last the week after Christmas.

As far as decorating, I'll try to put up a tree next week, but if it look like i won't have much time, we have a 3 foot one that goes up and can be decorated in about 10 minutes. Just enough to remind us Christmas is coming.

I'm breaking my Christmas list down tonight into what has to be done now (the Inlaws stuff needs to be shipped), and then split the rest over the next couple of weeks. I do have quite a bit done already. I'll also separate out what dh can pick up, and what I'll get.

December has always been crazy for me, no matter how I plan.

Laurie

Lynne, that is a great idea. My mother in law passed away in May and my husband and his brothers are really having a rough time. I will be thinking of you through the holiday and sending out a little prayer for comfort. I may even start a joy journal too. mj

First, I am really enjoying hearing about all of your lives

Denise, you have such a great attitude. Can you pass some of that over here!

Mary Jo, the reason you don't feel your age is probably because you still look 20! I know how you feel, my oldest turns 16 soon and I have trouble believing the time has passed. Tonight she has a big school dance and I am seriously AS excited as she is. They are all getting ready at someone else's house, but I'm going to take pictures, and I want to see the look on her date's face when she walks out - she is adorable.

My problem at Christmas is not stress as much as getting the blues and missing my Mom. And I feel guilty about feeling that way, which adds distress. So what I do is I make a December Joy List (in my journal), so that every day is special. First I fill in the obvious things I look forward to like Christmas Fair Day (tomorrow), and family celebrations. The open days get small joys filled in, even if it is as small as a sweet note received in a Christmas card. This helps me to be more aware of what a magical time of year this is, and I enjoy the season much more when I don't let the little pleasures pass me by. I know, it's corny, but it helps me fight the tough stuff.

Lynne

I still have too much on my plate with non-holiday stress that all the other stuff is taking a back seat.

Being that we won't be here for x-mas, it's taken some of the pressure off since I'm not hosting anything and the house doesn't have to look "perfect".

Nothing like a major illness in the family to help refocus on the priorities in life.

Today my daughter turns 17!! Very weird for me since I somehow don't feel like I ever passed 20. The time goes by so quickly and it seems like it goes faster each year. Just yesterday (and I can still hear her voice clearly in my head), she was singing the songs from "The Little Mermaid". My heart is so big! I get through the madness with memories of fun holidays in the past and the excitement of buying gifts for the people I love.
Yes it can be stressful, but I keep a daily list of things I need to do and pace myself.

Make that 13 dinners/parties/concerts... another email from my moms' group just showed up.

I just plan. I've tried to never put my food or diet before people. People post this kind of thing on the ww boards all the time - that they are not going to such-and-such event because there will be food there and it is too stressful.

We've already had two people in our play group die. These are my dear friends... ok, so there will be food there. I can plan for that. I figured out how to maintain last Dec., I can do it again this year.

Also, we don't go to dh company party. It is an intimate gathering of 2000 people... nobody notices if he is there or not. I don't go to every holiday event... but the ones with friends and family... I do go. I plan.

Only have a few family members to shop for, have to get it done soon because I have to ship it..Don't have time to decorate (and my cat would destory the decorations anyway's) and this time of year I am too busy with work, Trying to get orders to our customers for New Year's Eve..

We really simplified our holidays a few years ago. I only have 3 people I need to shop for.

We don't go into hyper-decoration mode... we don't always put lights on the house. We put up a tree, and some years, that is our only decoration. Having a 13 yo helps... he and his friends sometimes decorate the tree after school... or some years we don't decorate until school gets out a couple of days before Xmas. I'm not terribly competitive in the decorating stuff.

I have 12 parties/dinners/concerts between now and January 3rd. I'm looking forward to all of them.

I played at a City Tree Lighting festival thing tonight. It was soooo fun! We played about 20 xmas carols/holiday songs. The conductor gave the baton to any little kid that wanted to "conduct" and told them, "Say one, two, ready, play and wave your arms and they'll start." The kids were soooooo cute.

I really enjoy that part of the holidays. I ate 4 cookies, but they were little and I planned for it.

I guess that is the key to keeping "normality" is to plan.

Also, to ask for help. I talked to dh and said that it really bothered me that he and the guys are waited on when we go to mil's and I end up working 8 hours a day. He has been very good about coming in and helping with dishes and putting food away.

dh also does the shopping for ds. He REALLY enjoys it. I enjoy buying stocking stuffers, so I do that.

Every year, I get better and better at either getting help or getting rid of CHORES I really dislike about the holidays. And the other parts of the holidays... I REALLY enjoy.

Stick to my normal schedule as much as I can, and not add any more commitments to my life as of two Mondays ago. I've decided what I have time for, penciled in time for myself, and have let go of the things that I "should" do by other people's standards and focused only on what I can do.

Now we'll see if I stick to it...