This is the time of year when our minds quickly turn to the
holiday season … and to the holiday stresses so I
’m devoting this column to putting the joys and pleasures back
into your celebrations. Many find the holidays a time to binge out
on buying which leads to mounds of personal debt. We also find this
consumerism adds an additional 5 to 7 million tons of extra waste
in our landfills. Not a way to li
ve gently on our Mother Earth.
This is the time of year when our minds quickly turn to the holiday season … and to the holiday stresses so I’m devoting this column to putting the joys and pleasures back into your celebrations. Many find the holidays a time to binge out on buying which leads to mounds of personal debt. We also find this consumerism adds an additional 5 to 7 million tons of extra waste in our landfills. Not a way to live gently on our Mother Earth.
Grab a pencil, some paper cause it’s time to do some soul searching. Begin by values, not goal-setting. What would your perfect holiday, including the day before and the day after look like?
A home filled with people bustling around, music booming, or something a bit more peaceful and serene? Where do you find your anxieties creep in? Meal planning, gift selection, balancing time for yourself as well as family obligations? Perfectionism, procrastination? Remember last year’s celebrations, what worked and what did not? What brought joy and delight or harmony and serenity to your gatherings? What did not? Take some time to respond to these questions.
Winter begins Dec. 21 and Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner. Still, there is more than enough time to chart out your priorities and goals and to face off your challenges and turn them into opportunities.
If meals are important to you, pull your favorite recipes out now, and start buying the ingredients needed. That way you will have them on hand, and the grocery bill in November or December won’t sky rocket.
Try a new recipe before-hand, don’t wait until the holiday to experiment. One of our families’ tried-and-true appetizers is the Spinach Dip on the back of Knorr’s Vegetable Soup Mix. For desert, deep dark brownies, topped with red raspberry sauce and mounded with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Both easy and scrumptious.
Gift giving can be simplified by shopping close to home. This weekend stay in Morgan Hill and walk the downtown area, going into every store. We have many new shops bursting with wonderful items. Ask about gift certificates also so the intended receiver can choose what they would love to have.
For seniors, this is a great idea and remember the grocery stores now offer these certificates. This is also a great time to visit local museums and hospital gift shops for one-of-a-kind items. Slip one of the order cards from a magazine and order it now. Wrap up the December issue, give this as a gift and by January the magazine subscription should be in the mailbox.
Odette Pollar states “True success means focusing on what makes life meaningful for you, and ignoring or at least reducing the rest. To find more time, you don’t speed up; you slow down, and decide what really matters. Then devote your time to the important and eliminate the unessential.” For the next few months, before turning your light off, jot down in your journal that is by your bedside, six blessings or joys and the six most important things you need to do tomorrow with three of them being things that will bring light, love and laughter to your life.
In closing, there is still time to donate care package items for our soldiers and Marines. Give Mark Johanson a phone call at 778-6888 for more information. Mark’s Eagle Scout project is coordination of care packages for our military. A special thank you goes to all those at Saint Catherine’s school who generously donated hygiene items to the holiday care package drive to support Operation Care and Comfort.
Also, a huge congratulations to Burt and Joanne Anderson who recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.
Veterans Day observances will be held on Thursday, Nov. 11, at the downtown memorial. If you have a flag that cannot be lowered to half staff, yet want to show respect on special days, purchase a black ribbon as wide as the stripes and a bit longer than your flag. Tie the ribbons at the top of the flag.
Please remember to vote today. This is a privilege and a sacred responsibility. As always, may your pathway be blessed with just enough obstacles for personal development, and may it be scattered with joy, prosperity, happiness and love.
