Almost there!

It's almost here! Christmas, with all its pagentry and traditions. We've been getting ready for weeks: planning parties, buying gifts, attending religious services and making countless to-do lists. Families are getting together for Christmas Eve, bringing tons of food of every variety. To be special, my sons made a music video for youtube as a special Christmas present to our far-flung family. My older son plays saxophone and the younger one plays guitar. Their rendition of We Three Kings was unique to say the least. Let's just say heavy metal meets jazz is a fitting description.
My favorite part of today is being home. Not going to work is a wonderful gift for those of us who work fulltime. Neighbors have come by, bringing goodies and i've got plenty of time to bake my pies. The windows are wide open, taking advantage of the gorgeous Florida weather and feeling sorry for our countrymates up north and out west.
All in all, a great windup to our favorite holiday.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Time is running shorter

The days are getting shorter, our tempers are sometimes shorter and our to-do list is only growing!! This seems totally out of proportion but 'tis the season. A lot to do and for most of us, little time in which to accomplish it. The time to ship gifts is almost gone but good bargains abound locally. Living in Florida, one gift we love to ship is fruit from Indian River County. We are known for our luscious grapefruits and oranges; relatives from the cold north love to receive them in the dead of winter. They're colorful, juicy and sweet; a perfect counterpoint to the freezing temperatures being endured in the norther climates.
Shop locally this season and patronize your hometown businesses. In this worsening economy, it's a win-win solution for both giver and receiver.

getting motivated

This time of year, it seems like there's always so much to do: shopping (of course), decorating, baking, visiting friends, volunteering, sending Christmas cards, and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes, it seems so overwhelming, you have trouble deciding where to begin and what to really do. I find that a priority list helps a great deal. I make a list of the most important items i need to accomplish and i make this list both weekly and daily. It helps tremendously to put everything in perspective and to give you a feeling of accomplishment as each item is ticked off, completed.

What normally gets left out? Personal time. I know how dificult this is, but even ten minutes spent filing your nails or some extra skincare time can help replenish that sense of self. We get so caught up in the "holiday hustle", we forget how important this is. I use the airplane analogy to explain this: on an airplane, if the cabin suddenly depressurizes and the emergency airmasks drop down, we are instructed to apply our own mask first and then help others. Do you see the usefulness of this analogy? It points out the importance of taking sufficient care of ourselves to enable us to take care of others. An especially valid point for those of us with children!
So, make your lists, use them and don't forget your emergency air supply for coping with these hectic times.